Resveratrol protects renal damages induced by periodontitis via preventing mitochondrial dysfunction in rats.

OBJECTIVES: Periodontitis is closely associated with kidney disease and reactive oxygen species (ROS) involvement. Mitochondria are the primary source of both endogenous ROS and renal energy. We investigated whether resveratrol (RSV) prevents renal injury and mitochondrial dysfunction in periodontitis rats. METHODS: Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into control, experimental periodontitis (Ep) and Ep-RSV groups. To induce periodontitis, a steel ligature was placed on the cervix of the bilateral first maxillary molars. RSV (50 mg/kg/day) to the Ep-RSV group and vehicle to the Ep and control groups were gavaged. After 8 weeks, alveolar bone loss, pocket depth, gingival blood index and tooth mobility were assessed. Oxidative stress parameters, mitochondrial structure, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), mitochondrial ROS, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) were analysed in renal. Renal function and histology were also evaluated. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the Ep group showed renal structural destruction, elevated oxidative stress levels, mitochondrial structure destruction, MMP loss, mitochondrial ROS accumulation, ATP reduction, and decreased SIRT1 and PGC-1α levels. RSV prevented these destruction (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant impairment in renal function (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Periodontitis induces mitochondrial dysfunction in renal tissues. Resveratrol exerts a preventive effect on periodontitis-induced kidney injury by preventing mitochondrial dysfunction.

Effect of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α on liver injury induced by periodontitis in rats.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) on liver injury induced by periodontitis in rats. METHODS: Twenty-four male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: control group and periodontitis group, twelve per group. In periodontitis group, the periodontitis models were established for the maxillary first molars in rats by means of "wire ligation+vaccinationwith Porphyromonas gingivalis", the control group was inoculated with the equal volume of 2% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose in the same position, for 6 weeks. The probing depth, tooth mobility and sulcus bleeding index were detected. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to observe the pathological changes of liver tissues in rats. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to detect the gene and protein expression levels of PGC-1α, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) in liver tissues of rats. RESULTS: The probing depth, tooth mobility and sulcus bleeding index in periodontitis group were significantly higher than that in control group. HE staining showed in periodontitis group, hepatic cords ranged disorderly and there were vacuoles in cells and inflammatory cells infiltrated in liver tissues of rats, and there was no obvious abnormality in control group. The qRT-PCR results showed that the mRNA expression levels of Pgc-1α, Nrf2 and Tfam in liver tissues of rats in periodontitis group were lower obviously than that in control group. IHC results showed that the protein expression level of PGC-1α in liver tissues of rats in periodontitis group was decreased significantly than that in control group. CONCLUSIONS: PGC-1α may be involved in the process of periodontitis-induced liver injury in rats.

Effects of Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide on osteoblast-osteoclast bidirectional EphB4-EphrinB2 signaling.

In bone remodeling, the Eph family is involved in regulating the process of osteoclast and osteoblast coordination in order to maintain bone homeostasis. In this study, the effects of Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (Pg-LPS) on the osteoblast-osteoclast bidirectional EphB4-EphrinB2 signaling were investigated. An osteoblast-osteoclast co-culture system was achieved successfully. Hence, direct contact and communication between osteoblasts and osteoclasts was permitted. Regarding the protein expression and gene expression of EphB4 and EphrinB2, it was shown that Pg-LPS increased the expression of EphB4 while inhibiting the expression of EphrinB2. Therefore, the results indicate that, when treated with Pg-LPS, the EphB4 receptor on osteoblasts and the EphrinB2 ligand on osteoclasts may generate bidirectional anti-osteoclastogenic and pro-osteoblastogenic signaling into respective cells and potentially facilitate the transition from bone resorption to bone formation. This study may contribute to the control of osteoblast differentiation and bone formation at remodeling, and possibly also modeling, sites.