Background: Autoinducer (AI)-2 has an important role in biofilm formation in the oral environment. Mature biofilms formed as a result of the cell-to-cell communication make it difficult to overcome periodontitis with the use of antibiotics. Previous in vitro studies suggest that quorum-sensing inhibitors (QSIs) interfere with AI-2. This study compares the QSI effects resulting from an oral inoculation of Porphyromonas gingivalis in an experimental animal model.
Methods: Forty-five male mice were divided into three groups (n = 15 each): 1) infection; 2) QSI; and 3) control. Infection and QSI groups received oral inoculation of P. gingivalis, whereas treatment with QSIs (furane compound and d-ribose) was only performed in the QSIs group. The control group was a negative control not receiving manipulation. After 42 days, mice were sacrificed, and the distance from the alveolar bone crest (ABC) to the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) was measured by microcomputed tomography. P. gingivalis DNA was quantified in the soft and hard tissues around the molar teeth by real-time polymerase chain reaction.
Results: Distance from ABC to CEJ was significantly increased in the P. gingivalis infection group compared with the control group (P = 0.02) and significantly decreased in the QSI group compared with the infection group (P = 0.02). The QSI group contained 31.64% of the bacterial DNA count of the infection group.
Conclusion: Use of QSIs in the mice infection model showed a reduction of bone breakdown and a decrease in the number of bacteria in vivo, suggesting that QSIs can be a new approach to prevention and treatment of periodontitis.
Keywords: Biofilms; Porphyromonas gingivalis; models, animal; quorum sensing; ribose.