Figure 7

Inflammatory response in immune cells co-cultured with human gingival epithelium. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) or isolated CD14⁺ monocytes were cultured at a concentration of 1.0 × 10⁶ PBMCs/ml or 0.5 × 10⁶ monocytes/ml with and without human gingival epithelium (HGE) for 24 hours at 5% CO₂, 37 °C. Interleukin-8 gene expression relative to GAPDH was calculated in HGE tissue (A and D) and immune cells (B and E) using quantitative PCR. Spent supernatant from mono- and co-cultures were assessed for IL-8 protein by ELISA (C and F). Data representative of mean +/− SEM representative of n = 3–4 from two separate experiments. Statistical analysis was performed using either an unpaired t test or one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparison post-test (**p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, ****p < 0.0001).