Abstract
Acute phase reactants like C-reactive protein (CRP), and pentraxin 3 (PTX3) are increased with inflammation and tissue injury. PTX3 is an acute phase protein and a member of the long pentraxin family. CRP is synthesized in the liver but PTX3 is generated locally at the inflammatory site. It is a fluid-phase pattern-recognition molecule that regulates antimicrobial immunity and inflammation by interfering with selectin-dependent neutrophil recruitment and regulating the complement cascade. Hence, PTX3 could be used as a potential biomarker to identify inflammatory response in both acute and chronic diseases. In this review, we discuss the role of PTX3 in periodontal inflammation.