Background: Bee pollen (BP) has a broad range of beneficial effects on health. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of BP on the oral environment, including the microbiome and antimicrobial peptides. Methods: C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into two groups: control and BP. The BP group was fed with a 5% BP diet for 1 month. Swabs from the oral and buccal mucosa and samples of the intestinal stool were collected. Genomic DNA was extracted and the microbiome was analyzed via 16S rRNA sequencing. Results: BP inhibited the growth of P. gingivalis at a concentration of >2.5%. The metagenomic study showed that the abundance of genus Lactococcus was significantly elevated in the oral and intestinal microbiomes of the BP group when compared to those of the control group. Significant alterations in alpha and beta diversity were observed between the oral microbiomes of the two groups. The mRNA levels of beta-defensin-2 and -3 were significantly upregulated in the buccal mucosa of the BP group. Conclusion: A BP diet may have a beneficial effect on oral and systemic health by modulating the bacterial flora and antimicrobial peptides of the oral cavity. Further investigations are needed to clarify how a BP diet affects overall human health.
Background/Aim: Amitriptyline is a major tricyclic antidepressant that is also used to relieve chronic orofacial pain. Recently, alterations in gut flora due to various antidepressants have been demonstrated. However, it remains unknown how antidepressants affect the oral environment, including microbiota and innate immunity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of amitriptyline on oral microflora and antimicrobial peptides. Materials and Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally injected with amitriptyline for 2 weeks. The DNA extracted from the oral swabs were used to perform 16SrRNA sequencing to evaluate the oral microbiome. Quantitative RT-PCR was performed to evaluate the mRNA levels of antimicrobial peptides in the buccal tissues. Results: No significant differences in salivary flow rates were observed between the amitriptyline and control groups. Taxonomic analysis showed significant alterations in bacteria such as Corynebacterium, Rothia, and Porphyromonas due to amitriptyline administration. The beta diversity showed significant differences between the amitriptyline and control groups. Additionally, the predicted metagenome functions were significantly different between the two groups. The mRNA expression levels of antimicrobial peptides in the amitriptyline group were significantly higher as compared to controls. Conclusion: Systemic administration of amitriptyline may affect the oral environment, including oral microbes and innate immunity in the oral mucosa. Amitriptyline (AMI) is a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) drug that increases monoamine levels in the synaptic region by blocking the reuptake of both serotonin and norepinephrine neurotransmitters (1). AMI relieves neuropathic pain, acts as an antidepressant, and has been applied to treat orofacial chronic pain, such as postherpetic neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, and burning mouth syndrome (2, 3). AMI has strong binding affinity for alpha-adrenergic, histamine (H1), and muscarinic (M1) receptors, leading to a wide range of side effects. Owing to AMI's anticholinergic effects, dry mouth is one of the most common side effects (4, 5).The relationship between the enteric nervous systems of the gut and central nervous system has been recently established as a "gut-brain axis" (6). This concept includes the alteration of gut flora caused by psychological stress, while changes in human behavior and appetite increase the sense of anxiety due to gut inflammation (6, 7). In addition, 2134
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creat ive Commo ns Attri bution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Objective: We report a rare case of salivary duct carcinoma possibly arising from the malignant component of carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma.
Methods: A 56-year-old Japanese male complained of swelling in the left side of jaw for 2 years which was painless until 2 days ago. On extraoral examination, the face was bilaterally asymmetrical. An ultrasonography revealed hypoechoic mass of size 1.5x2.5x2.5 cm on left parotid gland. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a slight irregular mass on left parotid gland with no infiltration to adjacent tissues. Based on these findings, a clinical diagnosis of left parotid benign tumor was made.
Results: A surgical excision was performed under general anesthesia. On histopathological examination, the connective tissue was rich in fibrous components and was accompanied by hyaline. Epithelial cells with high atypia proliferating invasively as cords into connective tissue were observed. The intraductal component had Roman-bridge-like architecture with central portion undergoing comedonecrosis. Based on these findings, a final diagnosis of salivary duct carcinoma possibly arising from pleomorphic adenoma was made. p16 hypermethylation is a known phenomenon in oral malignancy. We also checked the methylation status of p16 gene and found high level of methylation in this tumor.
Conclusion: We reported a rare case of salivary duct carcinoma possibly arising from pleomorphic adenoma and also demonstrated high methylation level of p16 gene in the tumor.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.