Adrenomedullin expression in pathogen-challenged oral epithelial cells

Adrenomedullin, a multifunctional peptide, is expressed by many surface epithelial cells and, previously, we have demonstrated that adrenomedullin has antimicrobial activity. The oral cavity contains an epithelium that is permanently colonized by microflora, yet infections in a host are rare. We exposed oral keratinocytes to whole, live cells from four microorganisms commonly isolated from the oral cavity, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Streptococcus mutans, Candida albicans and Eikenella corrodens. There was upregulation of protein and gene expression in these cells in response to bacterial suspensions, but not with the yeast, Candida albicans. We propose there is a potential role for microbial products in enhancing mucosal defense mechanisms and that adrenomedullin participates in the prevention of local infection, thus contributing to host defense mechanisms.