Treatment With a Flavonoid-Rich Fraction of Bergamot Juice Improved Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Periodontitis in Rats

Abstract

Objective: In this study, we investigated the effects of a flavonoid-rich fraction of Bergamot juice (BJe) in rats subjected to experimental periodontitis induced by a single intragingival injection of lipopolysaccharides (LPS).Main Methods: Periodontitis was induced by a single intragingival injection of 1 μl LPS (10 μg/μl) derived from Salmonella typhimurium in sterile saline solution. The injection was made in the mesolateral side at the interdental papilla between the first and the second molar. Fourteen days after LPS injection, we performed radiographic analyses and then we surgically removed the gingivomucosal tissue surrounding the mandibular first molar for histological, immunohistochemical and molecular analysis.Results: LPS significantly induced oedema, tissue damage and increased neutrophil infiltration. At molecular level, we found increased NF-κB translocation as well as raised both TNF-α and IL-1β expression, other than modulation of apoptosis-associated proteins. Moreover, the increased myeloperoxidase activity was associated with up-regulation of adhesion molecules. Immunohistochemical analysis for nitrotyrosine and poly ADP-ribose displayed an intense staining in the gingivomucosal tissue. Oral administration of BJe for 14 consecutive days reduced tissue injury and several markers of gingival inflammation including nuclear NF-κB translocation, cytokines expression, myeloperoxidase activity and the expression of some adhesion molecules such as ICAM and P-selectin. BJe also decreased both nitrosative stress and PARP positive staining. Moreover, it caused down-regulation of Bax and up-regulation of Bcl-2 expression.Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that BJe improves LPS-induced periodontitis in rats by reducing the typical markers of inflammation, thus suggesting its potential in the treatment of periodontal diseases.

Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants in Atherosclerosis Development and Treatment

“…Flavonoids stand out as promising anti-oxidant agents that may prove to be beneficial for treatment of human diseases associated with chronic inflammation, including atherosclerosis. For instance, flavonoid-rich fraction of bergamot juice was shown to reduce lipopolysaccharides-induced inflammation in rats [98], and flavonoid-rich extract of orange juice was observed to reduce oxidative stress in an experimental model of inflammatory bowel disease [99]. These findings reflect the capacity of flavonoids to positively affect the oxidative stress and related inflammation.…”

Novel Combination of COX-2 Inhibitor and Antioxidant Therapy for Modulating Oxidative Stress Associated with Intestinal Ischemic Reperfusion Injury and Endotoxemia

“…A decrease in the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD)—an endogenous anti-oxidative enzyme—accompanies an increased tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration during ischemia, potentially predisposing the intestinal mucosa to I/R damage. Several previous studies from our group have described the beneficial effects of natural antioxidant treatments in different pathologies [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Unfortunately, firocoxib did not display any antioxidant activity.…”

Neuroprotective Effect of Bergamot Juice in 6-OHDA-Induced SH-SY5Y Cell Death, an In Vitro Model of Parkinson’s Disease

“…Recently, we demonstrated that BJ, along with its flavonoid-rich extract (BJe), possesses antioxidant [27,35] and anti-inflammatory [33,[36][37][38][39][40] activities. We further demonstrated the antimicrobial effect of BJe [41], as well as its anti-cancer properties, both in vitro [24,25,42] and in vivo [26,43].…”