title: Omega-3 fatty acid effect on alveolar bone loss in rats.
abstract: Gingival inflammation and alveolar bone resorption are hallmarks of adult periodontitis, elicited in response to oral micro-organisms such as Porphyromonas gingivalis. We hypothesized that omega (omega)-3 fatty acids (FA) dietary supplementation would modulate inflammatory reactions leading to periodontal disease in infected rats. Rats were fed fish oil (omega-3 FA) or corn oil (n-6 FA) diets for 22 weeks and were infected with P. gingivalis. Rats on the omega-3 FA diet exhibited elevated serum levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), documenting diet-induced changes. PCR analyses demonstrated that rats were orally colonized by P. gingivalis; increased IgG antibody levels substantiated this infection. P. gingivalis-infected rats treated with omega-3 FA had significantly less alveolar bone resorption. These results demonstrated the effectiveness of an omega-3 FA-supplemented diet in modulating alveolar bone resorption following P. gingivalis infection, and supported that omega-3 FA may be a useful adjunct in the treatment of periodontal disease.
authors.affiliation: Center for Oral Health Research, College of Dentistry, 159 HSRB, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536-0305, USA. knlaks0@uky.edu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kesavalu
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vasudevan
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Raghu
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Browning
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Novak
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Correll
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Steffen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ebersole
mesh_terms: D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D016866:Bacteroidaceae Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011859:Radiography; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005395:Fish Oils