ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Periodontal disease is an inflammatory condition of tooth-supporting tissues. Arachidonic acid metabolites have been implicated in development of periodontal disease, especially those derived from the cyclo-oxygenase (COX) pathway. This study investigated the role of inhibitors of cyclo-oxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2) in a model of periodontal disease in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A ligature was placed around the molar of rats. Losses of fiber attachment and of alveolar bone were measured morphometrically in histologically prepared sections. Infiltration of cells into gingival tissue surrounding the ligated tooth was also determined. RESULTS: Systemic and local administration of non-selective and selective COX-2 inhibitors, preventively, resulted in significant reduction of the losses of fiber attachment and alveolar bone, as well as decreased leukocyte numbers in gingival tissue. Preventive selective inhibition of COX-1 was as effective as COX-2 inhibition in reducing local fiber attachment loss and cell migration, but did not prevent alveolar bone loss. CONCLUSION: Our results provide evidence for participation of COX-1 and COX-2 in early stages of periodontal disease in rats. Furthermore, local administration of COX inhibitors reduced the signs of periodontal disease to the same extent as systemic treatment. Therapeutic approaches incorporating locally delivered anti-inflammatory drugs could be of benefit for patients suffering from periodontal disease.
Subject(s)
Alveolar Bone Loss/enzymology , Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Periodontal Attachment Loss/enzymology , Periodontitis/enzymology , Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases/metabolism , Alveolar Bone Loss/drug therapy , Animals , Arachidonic Acid/metabolism , Celecoxib , Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Disease Models, Animal , Indomethacin/pharmacology , Male , Periodontal Attachment Loss/drug therapy , Periodontal Ligament/drug effects , Periodontitis/drug therapy , Pyrazoles/pharmacology , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Sulfonamides/pharmacologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory condition of the tooth supporting tissues, the periodontium. Opioids have been shown to account for the relief of various chronic and acute inflammatory conditions. The aim of the present study was to investigate the participation of peripheral opioid receptors in development of periodontal disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Morphine and selective agonists and antagonists of opioid receptors were used in an experimental model of ligature-induced periodontal disease in rats. To evaluate the development of disease, the loss of fiber attachment, alveolar bone and number of cells in periodontal tissues were assessed. Measurements of these indicators were obtained by morphometric analysis of histological sections of periodontal-diseased tissues stained with hematoxylin and eosin. RESULTS: Local administration of either morphine or a selective kappa-opioid agonist for three consecutive days from the onset of periodontal disease reduced the loss of periodontal tissues, without changing the number of leukocytes in inflamed periodontium. Nor-binaltorphimine, a selective kappa-antagonist, reversed the beneficial effects of both morphine and the compound U-50,488 in this model. The use of either an agonist or an antagonist of delta-opioid receptors, however, did not affect disease progression. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that the beneficial effect of opioids in periodontal disease depended mainly on the activation of specific kappa-opioid receptors located in the periphery. Activation of such receptors could be considered in the management of periodontal disease, since it would not present the classical central side-effects associated with opioid use.
Subject(s)
Chronic Periodontitis/drug therapy , Chronic Periodontitis/physiopathology , Receptors, Opioid, kappa/physiology , 3,4-Dichloro-N-methyl-N-(2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-cyclohexyl)-benzeneacetamide, (trans)-Isomer/pharmacology , Analgesics, Opioid/pharmacology , Analgesics, Opioid/therapeutic use , Animals , Disease Models, Animal , Male , Morphine/pharmacology , Morphine/therapeutic use , Naltrexone/analogs & derivatives , Naltrexone/pharmacology , Narcotic Antagonists/pharmacology , Peripheral Nervous System/physiology , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Receptors, Opioid, delta/physiology , Receptors, Opioid, kappa/agonists , Receptors, Opioid, kappa/antagonists & inhibitorsABSTRACT
AIM: The objective of the present study was to assess the efficacy of 2.5% sodium hypochlorite and 2.2% glutaraldehyde ('Cidex') as sterilizing agents for gutta-percha cones. The efficacy of storage of gutta-percha cones in the presence or absence of paraformaldehyde was also evaluated. METHODOLOGY: Gutta-percha cones artificially contaminated with a suspension of Bacillus stearothermophilus (ATCC/7953) were treated with either 2.2% glutaraldehyde for 10, 15, 30 and 60 min and 10 and 12 h, or 2.5% sodium hypochlorite for 5, 10 and 15 min. The cones were then incubated in thioglycollate medium for the determination of microbial growth. In parallel, additional sterile gutta-percha cones were stored in sealed containers with or without paraformaldehyde tablets for 30 days. The containers were opened 30 min a day and exposed to the environment of a functioning dental clinic. Twelve cones were removed weekly from the containers to determine whether contamination had occurred. RESULTS: The results showed that 2.5% sodium hypochlorite was effective after 5, 10 and 15 min, whereas 10 and 12 h contact with 2.2% glutaraldehyde was necessary to obtain sterilization. There was no contamination of the gutta-percha cones when stored with or without paraformaldehyde. CONCLUSIONS: Sodium hypochlorite (2.5%) and 2.2% glutaraldehyde ('Cidex') proved to be effective as sterilizing agents for gutta-percha cones, with sodium hypochlorite requiring shorter periods of use. No difference was observed between the two methods of cone storage.