Effect of IgY on Periodontitis and Halitosis Induced by Fusobacterium nucleatum.

Fusobacterium nucleatum is a morbific agent in periodontitis and halitosis. Egg yolk antibody (IgY) was obtained from egg yolks from chickens stimulated with F. nucleatum. This study was to assess the effectiveness of IgY on periodontitis and halitosis caused by F. nucleatum in vitro and in vivo. The growth of F. nucleatum was inhibited (p <0. 05) by different concentrations of IgY in vitro and the results of a Halimeter show volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) were reduced to 904 ± 57 ppb at a concentration 40 mg/ml of IgY. The changes of fatty acids of F. nucleatum were determined using GC-MS. The scores for odor index of rat saliva were decreased. The major constituent of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including short-chain acids decreased 46.2% in 10 mg/ml IgY, ammonia decreased 70% in 40 mg/ml IgY, while aldehydes and olefine ketones were almost unchanged. The ELISA assay revealed that IL-6 and TNF-α were decreased after 4 weeks' IgY treatment. Morphometric (X-ray) and histological analyses (HE) showed that IgY reduced alveolar bone loss and collagen fibers became orderly in rat models. As a result, IgY may have the potential to treat periodontitis and halitosis.

Micronutrient modulation of NF-κB in oral keratinocytes exposed to periodontal bacteria.

Chronic periodontal diseases are characterised by a dysregulated and exaggerated inflammatory/immune response to plaque bacteria. We have demonstrated previously that oral keratinocytes up-regulate key molecular markers of inflammation, including NF-κB and cytokine signalling, when exposed to the periodontal bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum in vitro. The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether α-lipoic acid was able to abrogate bacterially-induced pro-inflammatory changes in the H400 oral epithelial cell line. Initial studies indicated that α-lipoic acid supplementation (1-4 mM) significantly reduced cell attachment; lower concentrations (<0.5 mM) enabled >85% cell adhesion at 24 h. While a pro-inflammatory response, demonstrable by NF-κB translocation, gene expression and protein production was evident in H400 cells following exposure to P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum, pre-incubation of cells with 0.5 mM α-lipoic acid modulated this response. α-Lipoic acid pre-treatment significantly decreased levels of bacterially-induced NF-κB activation and IL-8 protein production, and differentially modulated transcript levels for IL-8, IL-1ß, TNF-α and GM-CSF, TLR2, 4, 9, S100A8, S100A9, lysyl oxidase, NF-κB1, HMOX, and SOD2. Overall, the data indicate that α-lipoic acid exerts an anti-inflammatory effect on oral epithelial cells exposed to periodontal bacteria and thus may provide a novel adjunctive treatment for periodontal diseases.

The influence of mineral trioxide aggregate on adaptive immune responses to endodontic pathogens in mice.

This study assessed the influence of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) on adaptive immune responses. BALB/c mice were immunized with heat-killed Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) in MTA or other control adjuvants, and serum IgG responses to Fn were measured. Either Fn- or Peptostreptococcus anaerobius (Pa)-reactive memory T cells (Tm) were preincubated in vitro with/without MTA and restimulated with Fn or Pa. Tm proliferation and cytokine production were assessed. Compared with control groups, immunoglobulin G-antibody responses were upregulated in mice immunized with Fn in MTA in a similar manner to animals immunized with Fn in Freund's adjuvant or aluminum hydroxide adjuvant. Although MTA did not affect the upregulated expression of interleukin 10, tumor necrosis factor alpha, or RANKL by Tm, it suppressed the proliferation of Pa- or Fn-Tm and inhibited their production of Th1- or Th2-signature cytokines. MTA upregulated the adaptive humoral immune responses but had little or no effect on pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokine production by Tm.

Immunoglobulins in milk from cows immunized with oral strains of Actinomyces, Prevotella, Porphyromonas, and Fusobacterium.

Immunization of pregnant cows with bacteria leads to the presence of high concentrations of specific antibodies in colostrum and milk. A total of 14 cows was immunized with single strains of heat-killed oral bacteria or pools of strains of Actinomyces, Porphyromonas, Prevotella, and Fusobacterium. Two cows were treated with adjuvant alone. The mean percentages of IgG1, IgG2, IgM, and IgA in all of the milks were 83.8, 3.8, 9.3, and 3.1, respectively. ELISA and whole cell agglutination assays demonstrated high titers in the milks from the cows immunized with either individual strains or the bacterial pools. The highest titers determined by ELISA belonged to the IgG1 isotype and in several milks were 64-fold greater than titers in milk from cows treated with adjuvant alone. The concentrations of all antibodies and the titers determined by ELISA and whole cell agglutination assays markedly decreased from the first to the sixth milkings. The functional specificity of the antibodies was demonstrated by agglutination tests against a wide range of bacteria including members of Actinomyces, Fusobacterium, Porphyromonas, Prevotella, Streptococcus, Eubacterium, Propionibacterium, Peptostreptococcus, Bacteroides, Actinobacillus, Haemophilus, Capnocytophaga, and Wolinella. Minimal cross-reactions with bacteria in other genera were observed with all of the milks. High-titer milk preparations have been obtained from immunized cows, and the capacity of the bovine antibodies to agglutinate target bacteria indicates their potential usefulness in oral passive immunization studies.