Effects of lercanidipine on bone density and bone repair in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of the lercanidipine on bone healing (BH) and bone density (BD) in the tibiae of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), using histometric and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) expression analyses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Wistar and SHR were assigned to one of the following groups: normotensive rats (NTR) (n = 15), untreated SHR (n = 15), and lercanidipine-treated SHR (n = 15). The latter group was treated daily with lercanidipine for 6 weeks. Two weeks after the beginning of drug administration, a critical-sized surgical defect was created in the right tibia of all groups, whereas the contralateral tibia remained without defect. The animals were killed 30 days after the creation of the bone defect. RESULTS: There were no significant differences among the groups for BH, trabecular BD, and the number of TRAP+ cells in the newly formed cortical bone (P > 0.05). SHR presented significantly lower cortical BD and increased cortical levels of TRAP+ cells, when compared with NTR and lercanidipine-treated SHR (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: SHR presented a lower cortical BD and increased levels of TRAP+ cells. In addition, the treatment of SHR with lercanidipine during 6 weeks was able to revert the deleterious effects of hypertension on cortical BD and on the number of TRAP+ cells in the tibia of SHR.

Local and circulating levels of adipocytokines in obese and normal weight individuals with chronic periodontitis.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate the local and circulating levels of adipocytokines (resistin, adiponectin, leptin, tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, and interleukin [IL]-6) in individuals who are obese and individuals who are normal weight (NW) with chronic periodontitis (CP). METHODS: Periodontal and anthropometric examinations were performed. Based on these measurements, the individuals were divided into one of the following groups: NW non-periodontitis (NP) (NWNP; n = 20); NWCP (n = 20); obese NP (ONP; n = 18); and obese CP (OCP; n = 20). The levels of adipocytokines were evaluated in the serum and gingival crevicular fluid of shallow and deep sites by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: In serum, resistin levels were higher whereas adiponectin levels were lower in periodontitis than in NP groups (P <0.05). The NWNP group presented the lowest serum leptin levels (P <0.05). The ONP and OCP groups demonstrated higher TNF-α levels in periodontal sites than the NWNP and NWCP groups (P <0.05). Serum levels of IL-6 (P = 0.04) and leptin (P = 0.01) were correlated with the OCP group, with odds ratios of 0.99 (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.01 to -0.00) and 0.99 (95% CI: -0.00 to -0.00), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Periodontitis mainly influenced the circulating levels of resistin and adiponectin, whereas both obesity and periodontitis affected the circulating levels of leptin in favor of proinflammation. In addition, obesity upregulated the local levels of TNF-α.

Expression of immune-inflammatory markers in sites of chronic periodontitis in patients with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate the gene expression of immune-inflammatory markers in gingival biopsies of patients with type 2 diabetes with chronic periodontitis (CP). METHODS: Gingival biopsies were harvested from systemically and periodontally healthy patients (SPH), systemically healthy patients with CP (SHCP), and patients with better-controlled and poorly controlled diabetes and CP. The levels of mRNA of interleukin (IL)-17, IL-6, IL-23, IL-10, IL-4, interferon-γ, toll-like receptor (TLR)-2, TLR-4, osteoprotegerin, receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL), tumor necrosis factor-α, transforming growth factor-ß, transcription factor forkhead box p3, transcription factor orphan nuclear receptor C2 (RORC2), and receptor of advanced glycation end products (RAGE) were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: All CP groups presented higher levels of mRNA of TLR-2, TLR-4, IL-17, RANKL, and RAGE and a higher frequency of IL-17 and TLR-2 mRNA-positive biopsies when compared to SPH (P <0.05). There was a higher frequency of detection of RORC2 in the biopsies from both groups with diabetes compared to the other groups (P <0.05). The frequency of IL-4 mRNA-positive tissues was lower in patients with diabetes compared to SHCP (P <0.05). CONCLUSION: CP, but not type 2 diabetes mellitus, significantly affected the expressions of the evaluated genes related to the innate and adaptive immune responses.