Cinnamaldehyde modulates host immunoinflammatory responses in rat ligature-induced periodontitis and peripheral blood mononuclear cell models.

Cinnamaldehyde is a natural product with anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory properties, known to regulate host responses to bacterial stimuli. This study aimed to investigate the effects of cinnamaldehyde on ligature-induced periodontitis in rats, and its impact on the modulation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Male Wistar rats were assigned into three groups:i) control: no ligature + vehicle; ii) ligature: ligature + vehicle; and iii) ligature + cinnamaldehyde (50 mg/kg); all treatments by daily oral gavage. After 14 days of induced periodontitis, the hemimandibles were collected for bone loss evaluation. The gingival levels of IL-1ß, MMP-9 and iNOS mRNA were evaluated. Nitric oxide (NO) was measured in both rat saliva and plasma. PBMC were stimulated with Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) in the presence or absence of cinnamaldehyde (5, 20 e 40 µM), and cytokine production was quantified in cell supernatant. Proliferating lymphocytes were taken for flow cytometer reading, while culture supernatants were used for IFN-γ and IL-10 assessment. The ligature group had both increased alveolar bone loss and gingival expression of IL-1ß, MMP-9 and iNOS compared to the control group. All parameters were attenuated by cinnamaldehyde treatment. Lower salivary but not plasma NO was detected in the cinnamaldehyde compared to the ligature group. Aa-stimulated PBMCs treated with cinnamaldehyde produced less IL-1ß; the compound also attenuated lymphocyte proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, as well as cell IL-10 production. Cinnamaldehyde treatment reduced periodontal bone loss, and downregulated key inflammatory mediators and human PBMC responses, pointing to novel potential therapeutic effects of this compound.

Urinary Incontinence in Climacteric Women With or Without Depressive Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate whether the occurrence of urinary incontinence (UI) is associated with increased odds of depression in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 208 women with depressive symptoms, confirmed by the Beck Depression Inventory, and 247 patients without depression. All participants were perimenopausal or postmenopausal women aged 35 to 65 years who attended an outpatient clinic from a tertiary-academic hospital in Northeastern Brazil. Urinary incontinence symptoms were assessed using patient's self-report and the validated versions of the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form and the Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis. To investigate the severity of climacteric symptoms, the Blatt-Kupperman Index was used, and menopause-related quality of life was analyzed using the Utian Quality of Life Questionnaire. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, the Beck Depression Inventory-II mean scores for UI and non-UI women were, respectively, 15.5 (95% confidence interval, 14.28-16.72) and 11.83 (10.52-13.13; P < 0.05). Patients with moderate and severe scores of depression reported higher International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form and Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis scores when compared with women with mild depression scores and women without depression (P < 0.001). Conversely, in multivariate analysis, having UI was not associated with having depression (odds ratio [OR], 0.85; 0.52-1.37; P = 0.50), after adjusting for confounders. Older age (>55 years) was associated with decreased odds of depression (OR, 0.43; 0.21-0.88; P = 0.02), whereas moderate (OR, 2.28; 1.40-3.71; P = 0.001) and severe (OR, 7.70; 2.79-21.23) intensities of menopause symptoms were associated with increased odds of depression. CONCLUSION: Urinary incontinence was not associated with depression within climacteric women after multivariate analysis.

Protective effects of desipramine on alveolar bone in experimental periodontitis.

BACKGROUND: Desipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant with immune-modulatory activity, whose effects on ligature-induced periodontitis are yet to be investigated. Hence, its actions on alveolar bone resorption, gingival collagen content and key inflammatory mediators were herewith analyzed. METHODS: A total of 60 male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into three groups: 1) control: rats without ligature treated with vehicle (saline); 2) ligature: rats with ligature-induced periodontitis treated with vehicle; 3) ligature + desipramine: rats with ligature-induced periodontitis treated with desipramine (20 mg/kg/d in vehicle). Mandibles and gingival tissues were collected 3 or 15 days after ligature insertion (or no ligature insertion for controls) and treatments. Alveolar bone resorption and gingival collagen fibers were histologically analyzed using either HE or picrosirius red staining. Gingival mRNA expressions of interleukin (IL)-1ß, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 were obtained through reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. MMP-9 activity was analyzed by zymography. RESULTS: Alveolar bone loss was significantly reduced in the ligature + desipramine group (P < 0.05), whereas gingival collagen degradation was like the ligature group (P > 0.05). Desipramine administration downregulated mRNA expressions of IL-1ß, iNOS, COX-2, and TIMP-1 when compared to vehicle alone in the ligature group (P < 0.05). MMP-9 expression and MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio were similar among rats with ligature-induced periodontitis (P > 0.05); however, MMP-9 activity was lower in the group treated with desipramine (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Desipramine administration reduced alveolar bone loss as histologically observed, and modulated key bone remodeling and inflammatory mediators in rats with ligature-induced periodontitis.

Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of the effect of Morus nigra L. (black mulberry) leaf powder on symptoms and quality of life among climacteric women.

OBJECTIVE: To test the efficacy of Morus nigra L. (MN) leaf powder for treating climacteric symptoms by comparison with hormone therapy (HT) and placebo. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial among 62 climacteric women attending Hospital of the Federal University of Maranhão, Brazil. Women were divided into MN, HT, and placebo groups, and received 250 mg of MN leaf powder, 1 mg of estradiol, or placebo for 60 days. Primary outcomes were the Blatt-Kupperman index (BKI) for climacteric symptoms and SF-36 health questionnaire scores. RESULTS: Baseline sociodemographic variables, BKI scores, symptoms, and SF-36 domains did not differ among the groups. There was a reduction in mean BKI in the MN (17.5 vs 9.7, P<0.001), HT (15.4 vs 8.6, P=0.001), and placebo (16.1 vs 12.4, P=0.040) groups. Analysis of quality of life (QoL) showed that functional capacity (P=0.006), vitality (P=0.031), mental health (P=0.017), and social aspect (P<0.01) improved after treatment in the MN group. The HT group showed improvement in emotional limitation (P=0.040), and the placebo group showed better functional capacity (P=0.030) after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Climacteric symptoms and QoL improved after administration of 250 mg of MN leaf powder for 60 days, similar to the effects of HT. The trial is registered in the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (REBEC) under registration number RBR-9t4xxk.

Plasma Cytokine Levels in Overweight Versus Obese Disease-Free Perimenopausal Women.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the plasma cytokine levels during T cell-mediated inflammatory responses and compare the metabolic markers between overweight and obese perimenopausal women without systemic diseases. METHODS: Sixty perimenopausal women were divided into two groups (overweight and obese). Participants in both groups had their waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) measured and blood samples collected for the evaluation of estradiol, fasting glucose, leptin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-17A levels, and lipid profile. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, women with obesity showed increased WHtR, fasting glucose, leptin, and IL-6 (p < 0.05) levels; however, significant differences were not observed in IL-10 or IL-17A (p > 0.05) levels. In the receiver operating characteristic curve, the highest areas under the curve were shown for leptin (0.856) and IL-6 (0.706). IL-6 levels correlated with both hs-CRP (r = 0.302, p = 0.020) and leptin (r = 0.294, p = 0.022). However, in multivariate analysis, IL-6 was not associated with a greater likelihood of obesity (OR = 1.61; 95% CI: 0.82-3.15; p = 0.16), when potential confounders were considered. CONCLUSION: IL-6 levels varied between overweight and obese perimenopausal women, and this association was weaker when adjusted for other clinical variables.