The effect of alloxan diabetes on prolyl and lysyl hydroxylase activity in uninflamed and inflamed rat gingiva

Relationship Between Periodontitis and Diabetes: Lessons From Rodent Studies

BACKGROUND

A great amount of investigations have provided evidence that both type 1 and type 2 diabetes increase the risk and severity of periodontitis; several alterations in the diabetic periodontium are likely to be involved. Conversely, periodontitis has been shown to have an impact on diabetes, although less evidence is available on the underlying mechanisms. The association between periodontitis and diabetes has been discussed in several reviews over the past years; however, none has focused on the use and contribution of rodent models.

METHODS

This review describes the most commonly used rodent models of diabetes, periodontitis, and the association between the two diseases. Further, we summarize the influence of diabetes in the periodontium as well as the effect of periodontitis on diabetes status with special focus on evidence from experimental studies.

RESULTS

Rodent studies have confirmed human findings and further increased our knowledge on the alterations in the diabetic periodontium. On the other hand, few rodent investigations have explored the consequences of periodontitis for diabetes. Their results clearly indicate that periodontitis can become a health hazard not only for diabetes but also for prediabetes; the exact mechanisms are still to be unraveled.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from rodent studies have been useful in increasing our understanding of periodontitis, diabetes, and their association and hold great promise for future investigations given the wide variety of possibilities for testing biologic hypotheses.

Streptozotocin-induced diabetes and the rat periodontium: decreased relative collagen production

This is the first study concerning the extent to which relative collagen production (RCP) in rat periodontal tissues is affected by diabetes. Determination of RCP, rather than individual production rates for collagen or for non-collagen protein, was deemed necessary because saturation of all proline pools in tissues of diabetics (and non-diabetic controls) was not achieved. Such non-saturation occurred despite the injection of a pool-expanding dose of proline (400-1150 mg/rat), non-saturation indicated by the lesser specific radioactivity (S.R.) of free-[3H]proline in tissues than that of the injected solution. RCP was decreased in five periodontal tissues (incisor and molar gingiva, incisor and molar periodontal ligament, antemolar palatal mucosa) and in skin. Diabetes-decreased RCP seems to result from decreased collagen synthesis and increased intracellular degradation, although some evidence is presented for increased extracellular degradation of recently secreted collagen.