Aims: The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of local use of propolis (PRO) as a monotherapy or adjunctive therapy to scaling and root planning (SRP) in the treatment of ligature-induced periodontitis (LIP) in rats by evaluating inflammatory markers and oxidative stress.
Settings and design: The present study was carried out at Hawler Medical University, College of Dentistry, and the animals used in the study were rats that were housed in an animal facility at the College of Medicine. The experimental part of the study was carried between December 2016 and August 2017.
Subjects and methods: In total, 125 rats were equally divided into 5 groups of 25 animals: the control group (C) with no experimental periodontitis or treatment (gp1), LIP treated by local irrigation with a vehicle (dimethyl sulfoxide + physiological saline solution) group (gp2); LIP treated by SRP with vehicle irrigation group (gp3); LIP treated by local irrigation with 10% PRO extract group (gp4); and LIP treated by SRP with 10% PRO extract irrigation group (gp5). Experimental periodontitis was induced by placing a silk ligature around the cervix of the mandibular incisor for 4 weeks. After removal of the ligature, SRP was performed in gp3 and gp5. Five rats from each group were euthanized on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 21 after local treatment. Intracardiac blood samples were obtained for analysis of the inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and oxidative stress, which were represented by the expression of serum malondialdehyde (MDA).
Statistical analysis used: Data were analyzed statistically by analysis of variance followed by Tukey's test (P < 0.05).
Results: Gp5 demonstrated significantly lower IL-1β, TNF-α, and MDA serum levels than the other treatment groups at all experimental time points (P < 0.05). No significant differences were found when PRO was used as a monotherapy (P > 0.05).
Conclusions: Local use of a PRO extract was effective as an adjunctive treatment with SRP in a rat model of experimental periodontitis via anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activities.
Keywords: Experimental periodontitis; inflammatory markers; oxidative stress; propolis.