RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Diabetes mellitus and periodontal disease are two common chronic diseases that have long been thought to be biologically linked. Overexpression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is thought to contribute to this bidirectional inter-relationship. This study examined the effect of anti-TNF-alpha antibody treatment on Porphyromonas gingivalis infection in diabetic mice. METHODS: In C57BL/6 (normal) and KKAy (diabetic) mice, the area adjacent to the periosteum at a point on the skull midway between the ears was inoculated with P. gingivalis. At 24h after the inoculation, the mice in the test group were treated with rat anti-murine TNF-alpha intravenously, while the control group received non-immunized rat IgG. TNF-alpha, IL-6, and fasting blood glucose levels in the mice were measured on day 3. RESULTS: Anti-TNF-alpha antibody treatment improved the host response to P. gingivalis and was associated with reduced serum TNF-alpha, IL-6, and fasting blood glucose levels in the KKAy mice. Anti-TNF-alpha antibody treatment also decreased the lesion size at the P. gingivalis inoculation. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that TNF-alpha plays a role in the two-way relationship between P. gingivalis infection and diabetes mellitus. Anti-TNF-alpha antibody treatment may improve the host response to P. gingivalis infection and glycemic control in diabetes mellitus.
