Host induced control of pathogens involves, but not limited to, withholding of essential transition metals as well as releasing the metals at a toxic level. Zinc is one of these transition elements that plays critical role in controlling the pathogens in that manner – a key mediator in nutritional immunity. A number of subcellular and molecular mecha-nisms such as transport and storage proteins are known to maintain Zn homeostasis and scuffle with the pathogens. Pathogenic bacteria also use a number of mechanisms to combat the scuffle and fight for the right amount of Zn for their survival and growth. From the host perspective, a “delicate” balance of Zn must be maintained for immune surveillance while making the level of Zn either to starve or to intoxicate the pathogens. Metallothionein (MT), a group of low molecular weight proteins, is well known for its Zn transport and storage ability and is expected to play an important role in that nutritional immunity. Zn homeostasis by MT to fight oral pathogens is not unexpected too. Periodontitis and dental caries are two most common oral diseases which are linked to the pathogenic carnival of opportunistic bacteria. Can those culprits be exterminated through nutritional immunity using MT? Or could it be - those human hosts who become the easy prey of those pathogens lack inducible expression of MT in their oral tissues? The synthesis or degradation of MT in response to invading pathogens in oral tissues, the human-MT medi-ated Zn homeostasis in response to infectious insult in oral tissues are evident. Nonetheless, the cross talk between MT and Zn in oral nutritional immunity is largely unknown.
Introduction: While sharing a common causal link, both rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and periodontitis (PD) manifest similar inflammatory responses. With the progression of severity, both diseases result in bone loss. Hence, Ca and Zn, as structural components of the bones, are expected to be altered in saliva and serum in PD and RA respectively. Zinc and calcium concentrations have been studied previously in patients with PD or RA, with PD patients exhibiting increased salivary Ca and decreased Zn concentrations in serum, while RA patients have been reported to express low plasma concentrations of both Zn and Ca. The aim of this study is to evaluate the saliva and serum levels of Ca and Zn in PD patients with or without RA. Methods: Serum and saliva samples were collected from 82 patients from the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya and the University Malaya Medical Centre rheumatoid clinic. Patients were grouped according to their periodontal health and RA status (healthy n=21; PD n=21; RA n=21; RAPD n=19). Results: Zinc concentration in serum was significantly higher (p