The Effects of Non-Surgical Periodontitis Therapy on the Clinical Features and Serological Parameters of Patients Suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis as Well as Chronic Periodontitis.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to evaluate the effects of basic periodontal disease therapy on the general condition and serum inflammatory indicators of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) combined with chronic periodontitis (CP). METHODS: Forty patients with RA were enrolled in the study and, based on the results of an oral examination and in line with the 2018 periodontitis diagnostic criteria, they were divided into a group with CP (the RA + CP group) and a group without CP (the RA group). Twenty-nine patients with CP who attended the periodontal department of our hospital were recruited as a group with only CP (the CP group), and 20 volunteers without any systemic or periodontal disease were recruited as a healthy control group (the H group). The periodontal and joint conditions of the subjects in the four groups were recorded; anti-cyclic citrullinated protein antibodies, interleukin 6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and rheumatoid factor levels, which reflect the severity of the RA, were detected, and the differences between the groups were analyzed. The probing depth (PD), clinical attachment loss, and sulcus bleeding index (SBI), which reflect the severity of the periodontitis, were correlated with the factor levels. The RA + CP and CP groups received therapeutic intervention, and the differences in each indicator before and six weeks after the treatment were compared, and their data were compared with those of patients in the RA group and H groups. RESULTS: Compared with the RA group, the serum expressions of ESR, CRP, and IL-6 were significantly higher in the RA + CP group. There were significant differences in the levels of PD, SBI, IL-6, and CRP in the patients receiving basic periodontal disease therapy before and after the treatment. CONCLUSION: A relatively large proportion of patients with RA have chronic periodontitis, and the local inflammatory state of CP might exacerbate the systemic inflammatory response in RA. Basic periodontal disease therapy may improve the oral condition of patients with RA and reduce the serum levels of the inflammatory factors.

A novel polysaccharide from Hericium erinaceus: Preparation, structural characteristics, thermal stabilities, and antioxidant activities in vitro.

A novel polysaccharide fraction (HEP) from Hericium erinaceus was successively isolated and purified in the present study. We researched its structure and thermal stabilities, and further studied its antioxidant activities in vitro. The results showed that HEP was an acid heteropolysaccharide, with an average molecular weight of approximately 19.7 kDa by high-performance gel permeation chromatography. Ion chromatography indicated that HEP was mainly composed of fucose:galactose:glucose:mannose:gluconic acid (Fuc:Gal:Glu:Man:GlcA) in a molar ratio of 1:2.87:0.09:0.12:0.01. Additionally, Fourier-transformed infrared and NMR spectroscopy further demonstrated that HEP was a pyranose containing α-configuration, mainly consisting of α-1-4-Fuc and α-1-6-Gal as the main chain, with →3,6)-α-D-Man-(1→and→1,6)-Glc was branched, with α-D-GlcpA-(1 as T-terminal. The specific rotation of HEP was +55°; by the differential scanning calorimetry and the thermal stability measurement of thermogravimetric analysis for HEP showed that the pyrolysis process of HEP was mainly divided into two processes, and its melting point was 75.93℃. In vitro anti-oxidation experiments showed that HEP had a certain ability to scavenge DPPH, hydroxyl, superoxide anion, and ABTS radicals. It was found that HEP had a strong ability to scavenge DPPH-free radicals, and the highest scavenging rate could reach 91.72% ± 0.17%, which was basically equivalent to the scavenging ability of Vitamin C (Vc). Therefore, it was revealed that HEP might be used as a natural antioxidant component. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: A novel polysaccharide (HEP) had a potent activity possibly due to its monosaccharide composition, sugar residues, and physicochemical properties. This research proved the potential of HEP in anti-oxidation and provided the possibility of developing new natural anti-oxidation products.

Structural characterization of an acid polysaccharide from Pinellia ternata and its induction effect on apoptosis of Hep G2 cells.

In the present study, a polysaccharide fraction (PTP) was isolated and purified from the tubers of Pinellia ternata. We researched its structure and anti-tumor activity, and further studied its molecular mechanism of inducing apoptosis of Hep G2 cells. The results indicated that PTP was an acid heteropolysaccharide and the average molecular weight of PTP identified by HPGPC was 3.06 × 106 Da. Ion chromatography (IC) determined that PTP was mainly composed of Ara:Gal:Glu:Man:GlcA:GalA in a molar ratio of 6.98:16.56:7.25:2.04:1:4.16. Combined with the results of FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy, it was found that PTP is a pyranose containing α-configuration and ß-configuration, mainly consist of ß-D-Gal, α-D-Glu, α-D-Ara and ß-D-Man. By analyzing the results of MTT, cell cycle, Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining and cell morphology observation, we concluded that PTP induced dose-dependent apoptosis of Hep G2 cells via S phase arrest. In addition, mitochondrial membrane potential detection and Western blot further indicated that PTP was capable of inducing apoptosis in Hep G2 cells through an endogenous mitochondria-mediated apoptotic pathway.