Food restriction reduces hepatic alterations associated with experimental periodontitis.

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory and multifactorial disease that affects the periodontal structures and can cause alterations in the hepatic tissue. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether a diet with food restriction can decrease oral and liver alterations associated with ligature-induced periodontitis. METHODS: Twenty-four female Wistar rats were used in this study, randomized into three groups (n = 8 for each group): control (regular food); periodontitis (regular food + periodontitis induced with ligatures); and food restriction (diet with food restriction and periodontitis induction). The following periodontium parameters were analyzed tooth mobility (TM), probing pocket depth (PPD), gingival bleeding index (GBI), and alveolar bone height (ABH). In the liver, the levels of oxidative stress markers-malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), total cholesterol, and levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were measured. Liver samples were analyzed for histopathological score. In the blood tissue, the levels of enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glucose, total cholesterol, and the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were also evaluated. RESULTS: The animals that received a diet with food restriction + periodontitis showed a decrease in hepatic histopathological score (P < 0.05) when compared with the periodontitis group, the same for glucose, total cholesterol, ALT, AST, and ABH data. The group with food restriction + periodontitis showed a decrease in the histopathological liver score (P < 0.05) compared with the group with periodontitis. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that food restriction reduced oral damages, as well as hepatic, blood and alveolar bone alterations associated with ligature-induced periodontitis in rats.

Renal alterations caused by ligature-induced periodontitis persist after ligature removal in rats.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Periodontitis may crosstalk with renal diseases, yet that remains unclear. We investigated whether the renal alterations caused by induced periodontitis are reversible after removal of the ligatures in experimental ligature-induced periodontitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-four female rats were divided into three groups: control (without periodontitis), periodontitis (20 days of ligature-induced periodontitis), and P20-20 (20 days of ligature-induced periodontitis and 20 days after ligature removal). The following periodontal parameters were assessed: gingival bleeding index, probing pocket depth, myeloperoxidase activity, and alveolar bone height. For renal tissues, histopathology, malonaldehyde (MDA) levels, glutathione (GSH) content, and renal weight were evaluated. In the blood, creatinine, uric acid, albumin, total cholesterol, total protein, and glucose levels were assessed. Total protein and creatinine levels in urine were also investigated. RESULTS: Rat renal tissues did not demonstrate reversal of periodontitis-related changes in the P20-20 group in terms of MDA, GSH, and histopathological evaluations when compared to the periodontitis group. Accordingly, only total cholesterol levels were reversible in the P20-20. CONCLUSION: Renal alterations caused by ligature-induced periodontitis persisted even after removal of ligatures in rats.

Alpha-terpineol complexed with beta-cyclodextrin reduces damages caused by periodontitis in rats.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the treatment with alpha-terpineol (αTPN) complexed with beta-cyclodextrin (ßCD) on oral, blood, and hepatic parameters in ligature-induced periodontitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty female rats were distributed among the following groups: control (vehicle solution), periodontitis (ligature + vehicle solution), 5 mg/kg of αTPN-ßCD (ligature), and 25 mg/kg of αTPN-ßCD (ligature). Compounds were administered daily via intraperitoneal injection over a 20-day period. Periodontitis was induced with the bilateral insertion of ligatures around the first lower molars of each rat. Oral parameters, as well as blood biomarkers, were measured: histopathological assessment of the hepatic tissue was carried out using light and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: The treatment with αTPN-ßCD significantly improved several oral parameters and blood biomarkers in comparison with rats with periodontitis. In addition, the treatment with αTPN-ßCD significantly ameliorated the steatosis score and reduced the number of lipid droplets and the amount of foamy cytoplasm in the hepatocytes of rats with periodontitis. CONCLUSION: The results obtained suggest that the treatment with αTPN-ßCD improves several oral and blood parameters in rats with experimental periodontitis. In addition, hepatic alterations caused by periodontitis were ameliorated in the rats treated with αTPN-ßCD.

High-fat diet aggravates the liver disease caused by periodontitis in rats.

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease that causes periodontium and hepatic alterations. Liver disease is related to the intake of foods rich in fat and sugars (high-fat). The objective of this study was to evaluate whether a high-fat diet can aggravate the liver disease caused by ligature-induced periodontitis in rats. METHODS: Twenty-one female rats were divided into three groups (n = 7 in each group): control; periodontitis (periodontitis induced with ligature) and high-fat + periodontitis (received hypercaloric diet and induction of periodontitis). The rats were submitted to the analyses of the following periodontal parameters: gingival bleeding index (GBI), probing pocket depth (PPD), tooth mobility (TM), and alveolar bone height. In the hepatic tissue, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), total cholesterol, and myeloperoxidase activity (MPO) were measured. Liver samples were also histopathologically evaluated. Finally, blood levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glucose, total cholesterol, cholesterol high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and uric acid were measured. RESULTS: The high-fat + periodontitis group presented an increase in the steatosis score (P < 0.05) for the histopathologic evaluation, when compared with the periodontitis group. MDA, uric acid and ALT levels also increased, whereas GSH and HDL levels showed lower values. CONCLUSION: A high-fat diet aggravates the liver disease caused by ligature-induced periodontitis in rats.

Comparative analysis of blood parameters of the erythrocyte lineage between patients with chronic periodontitis and healthy patients: Results obtained from a meta-analysis.

Objective Quantitatively evaluate blood parameters of the erythrocyte lineage in patients with chronic periodontitis and healthy controls by means of a meta-analysis. Material and methods A review of literature was performed in the scientific databases for studies published before September 2016. The abstracts were evaluated and the extraction of data performed by two examiners. The parameters assessed were: hemoglobin levels, number of circulating red blood cells, hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration in patients with chronic periodontitis and healthy controls. The calculations were obtained through the statistical software Review Manager version 5.3, with calculation of Mean Difference, heterogeneity (I²) and funnel plot with P < 0.05. Results Nine case/control studies composed the results with 342 patients with chronic periodontitis and 359 healthy controls. There was a significant decrease in hemoglobin levels (MD = -1.60, 95% CI: -2.72, -0.48, P = 0.005) and number of circulating red blood cells (MD = -0.51, 95% CI: -0.78, -0.24, P = 0.0002), hematocrit (MD = -4.41, IC 95%: -7.13, -1.68, P = 0.002), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MD = -0.80; IC 95%: -1.38, -0,22, P = 0.007) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MD = -0.93, IC 95%: -1.63, -0.23, P = 0.009) in patients with chronic periodontitis when compared to healthy controls. No publication bias was found through the funnel plot asymmetry. Conclusion There is an associated of the reduction of hematological parameters (such as levels of hemoglobin and circulating red blood cells, hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration) to patients with chronic periodontitis.