HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Shu, L. Articles by Ding, Y. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Shu, L. Articles by Ding, Y.

Estrogen Modulates Cytokine Expression in Human Periodontal Ligament Cells

¹ Department of Orthodontics and
² Department of Oral Biology, School of Stomatology, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, 710032, China

^* corresponding author, yinding2005{at}yahoo.com.cn

Although systemic bone loss accompanying estrogen deficiency has been proposed as a risk factor for periodontal disease in post-menopausal women, the mechanisms involved remain unclear. The objective of this study was to elucidate the potential bone-sparing effect of estrogen (17β-estradiol, E₂) via modulation of inflammatory cytokine production in human periodontal ligament (hPDL) cells. E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) increased the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-, IL-1β, IL-6, and receptor activator of NF- B ligand (RANKL) by hPDL cells at both mRNA and protein levels. E₂ treatment reversed the stimulatory effects of LPS on pro-inflammatory cytokine expression by hPDL cells. Moreover, E₂ up-regulated osteoprotegerin (OPG) expression and therefore attenuated the reduction of the OPG vs. RANKL ratio. Our results suggested that estrogen may play a significant role in modulating periodontal tissue responses to LPS, and may exert its bone-sparing effects on periodontal tissues via altering the expression of inflammatory cytokines in hPDL cells.

KEY WORDS: 17β-estradiol • cytokine • periodontal ligament cells