Objective: Periodontitis has been causally linked to cardiovascular disease, which is mediated through the oxidative stress induced by periodontitis. Since vitamin C has been suggested to limit oxidative damage, we hypothesized that vitamin C intake may reduce endothelial oxidative stress induced by periodontitis in the aorta. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of vitamin C intake on the initiation of atherosclerosis in a ligature-induced rat periodontitis model.
Design: Eighteen 8-week-old-male Wistar rats were divided into three groups of six rats and all rats received daily fresh water and powdered food through out the 6-week study. In the vitamin C and periodontitis groups, periodontitis was ligature-induced for the first 4 weeks. In the vitamin C group, rats were given distilled water containing 1 g/L vitamin C for the 2 weeks after removing the ligature.
Results: In the periodontitis group, there was lipid deposition in the descending aorta and significant increases of serum level of hexanoyl-lysine (HEL), and aortic levels of nitrotyrosine expression, HEL expression and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) compared to the control group. Vitamin C intake significantly increased plasma vitamin C level and GSH:GSSG ratio (178% and 123%, respectively), and decreased level of serum HEL and aortic levels of nitrotyrosine, HEL and 8-OHdG (23%, 87%, 84%, and 38%, respectively).
Conclusions: These results suggest that vitamin C intake attenuates the degree of experimental atherosclerosis induced by periodontitis in the rat by decreasing oxidative stress.