Systemic Administration of Porphyromonas Gingivalis Lipopolysaccharide Induces Glial Activation and Depressive-Like Behavior in Rats.

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis is one of the most common chronic inflammatory disorders in adults. Although clinical studies have suggested a causal relationship between periodontitis and major depression (MD), the biological mechanisms by which periodontitis instigates MD are unknown. We investigated whether a systemic administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), a major Gram-negative pathogen of periodontitis, causes depressive-like behavior and glial activation in the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which are MD-related brain regions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into a behavioral test group and an immunohistochemistry group. The rats in each group were further assigned to the sham injection (saline) and Porphyromonas gingivalis-lipopolysaccharide (Pg-LPS) injection protocols. The rats received an intraperitoneal injection of saline or Pg-LPS with gradually increasing doses (day 1: 0.5, day 2: 0.5, day 3: 0.75, day 4: 0.75, day 5: 1.0, day 6: 1.0, and day 7: 1.0 mg/kg of body weight) for seven consecutive days. After the systemic administration, the behavior test group underwent the forced swimming test (FST) and Y-maze test. For the immunohistochemistry group, we quantified the immunoreactivity for microglial Iba-1 (ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1) and astrocytic glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the hippocampus (dentate gyrus [DG], cornu ammonis [CA1 and CA3]) and PFC (prelimbic [PrL] and the infralimbic [IL]) areas. RESULTS: The FST immobility time in the Pg-LPS group was significantly longer than that in the sham group. In the Y-maze test, a significant decline in spontaneous alternation behavior was observed in the Pg-LPS group compared to the sham group. The peripheral administration of Pg-LPS significantly increased the immunoreactivity for Iba-1 in the CA3 and PrL. Pg-LPS injection significantly increased the immunoreactivity for GFAP in the DG, CA1, and CA3. CONCLUSIONS: The major result of this study is that a repeated systemic administration of Pg-LPS caused depressive-like behavior and both microglial and astrocytic activation in rats. This finding may comprise biological evidence of a causal relationship between periodontitis and MD.

The Possible Causal Link of Periodontitis to Neuropsychiatric Disorders: More Than Psychosocial Mechanisms.

Increasing evidence implies a possible causal link between periodontitis and neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and major depression (MD). A possible mechanism underlying such a link can be explained by neuroinflammation induced by chronic systemic inflammation. This review article focuses on an overview of the biological and epidemiological evidence for a feasible causal link of periodontitis to neuropsychiatric disorders, including AD, MD, Parkinson's disease, and schizophrenia, as well as the neurological event, ischemic stroke. If there is such a link, a broad spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders associated with neuroinflammation could be preventable and modifiable by simple daily dealings for oral hygiene. However, the notion that periodontitis is a risk factor for neuropsychiatric disorders remains to be effectively substantiated.

Phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylcholine-containing liposomes inhibit amyloid beta and interferon-gamma-induced microglial activation.

There is increasing evidence that microglial activation is one of the major pathogenic factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the inhibition of the inflammatory activation of the microglia thus appears to be neuroprotective and a potentially useful treatment for AD. Phospholipids such as phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) have been reported to modulate the immune function of phagocytes. In addition, PS has been reported to be a nootropics that can be used as nonprescription memory or cognitive enhancers. We therefore evaluated the effects of liposomes, which comprise both PS and PC (PS/PC liposomes), on the microglial production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), nitric oxide (NO), and superoxide (*O(2)-) induced by amyloid beta (Abeta) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). Pretreatment of microglia with PS/PC liposomes considerably inhibited the TNF-alpha, NO and *O(2)- production induced by Abeta/IFN-gamma. These results suggest that PS/PC liposomes have both neuroprotective and antioxidative properties through the inhibition of microglial activation, thus supporting the nootropic and antidementia effect of PS.

Involvement of COX-1 and up-regulated prostaglandin E synthases in phosphatidylserine liposome-induced prostaglandin E2 production by microglia.

After engulfment of apoptotic cells through phosphatidylserine (PS)-mediated recognition, microglia secrete prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a potent anti-inflammatory molecule in the central nervous system. Despite the clinical significance, the mechanism underlying PGE2 production by phagocytosis of apoptotic cells is poorly understood. In the present study, we used PS liposomes to elucidate the phagocytic pathway for PGE2 production in microglia, because PS liposomes mimic the effects of apoptotic cells on microglia/macrophages. The level of PGE2 in the culture medium of primary cultured rat microglia was significantly increased by PS liposomes treatment but not by phosphatidylcholine liposomes treatment. The specific ligand for class B scavenger receptor (SR-B), high density lipoprotein, significantly suppressed PS liposome-induced PGE2 production. PS liposomes were immediately phagocytosed by microglia and sorted to endosomes/lysosomes. Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and membrane-bound prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) were induced by treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) but not with PS liposomes. On the other hand, mPGES-2 and cytosolic PGES (cPGES) that are functionally coupled with COX-1 were upregulated after treatment with PS liposomes or LPS. Furthermore, PS liposome-induced PGE2 production was significantly suppressed by indomethacin, a preferential COX-1 inhibitor, but not by NS-398, a selective COX-2 inhibitor. PS liposomes induced activation of p44/p42 extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) but not p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in SR-BI independent manner. These observations strongly suggest that the up-regulation of terminal PGESs that are preferentially coupled with COX-1, especially mPGES-2, plays the pivotal role in PS liposome-induced PGE2 production by microglia. Although SR-BI plays an essential role in PS liposome-induced PGE2 production, other PS-recognizing receptors, possibly PS-specific receptor, could also promote PGE2 production by transducing intracellular signals including p44/p42 ERK after PS liposomes treatment.