CCL2 and periodontitis: Previous studies have shown that GFs (6, 8, 16) and epithelial cells (6, 17), the primary cellular components of gingival mucosal tissue, contribute to the inflammatory phase of periodontitis by secreting chemokines such as CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL12, CCL2, and CCL19, which play a crucial role in recruiting lymphocytes and neutrophils to the affected gingival tissue and amplifying the inflammatory response (18).