Bone resorption, matrix metalloproteinases and caffeic acid phenethyl ester

Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester Effects: In Silico Study of its Osteoimmunological Mechanisms

Background:

Biological system complexity impedes the drug target identification by biological experiments. Thus drugs, rather than acting on target site only, can interact with the entire biological system. Study of this phenomenon, known as network pharmacology, provides grounds for biological target identification of new drugs or acts as a foundation for the discovery of new targets of present drugs. No publication is available on the interaction network of CAPE.

Aim:

This study was aimed at the investigation of the candidate targets and possible interactions of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) involved in its osteoimmunological effects.

Methods:

This study encompasses the investigation of candidate targets and possible interactions of CAPE by analyzing through PASS Prediction and constructing a biological network of CAPE.

Results:

In response to input (CAPE), PASS Prediction generated a network of 1723 targets. While selecting the probability to be active (Pa) value greater than 0.7 brought forth only 27 targets for CAPE. Most of these targets predicted the therapeutic role of CAPE as an osteoimmunological agent. Apart from this, this network pharmacology also identified 10 potential anti-cancer targets for CAPE, out of which 7 targets have been used efficiently in developing potent osteoimmunological drugs.

Conclusion:

This study provides scientific prediction of the mechanisms involved in osteoimmunological effects of CAPE, presenting its promising use in the development of a natural therapeutic agent for the pharmaceutical industry. CAPE targets identified by web-based online databases and network pharmacology need additional in silico assessment such as docking and MD simulation studies and experimental verification to authenticate these results.

Cinnamic acid decreases periodontal inflammation and alveolar bone loss in experimental periodontitis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Periodontitis is the chronic destructive disease of the periodontium, which causes severe inflammation in the tissues. Cinnamic acid as an unsaturated carboxylic acid might prevent inflammation and periodontal destruction. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of cinnamic acid in two different forms as free cinnamic acid and cinnamic acid liposome on experimental periodontitis in Wistar rats.

METHODS

Thirty-two female rats were used in the present study. Four main groups were created as follows: C: control group; P: periodontitis group; C-P: free cinnamic acid-administered periodontitis group; and CL-P: cinnamic acid liposome applied group. Periodontitis was induced via ligating 4-0 silk sutures around lower first molar teeth on both right and left mandibles. The study duration was 30 days, and the ligatures were removed from half of the rats in the periodontitis-induced groups. The other half carried the ligatures throughout 30 days, and all rats were euthanized at 30th day. Mandibles were removed and evaluated via stereomicroscope and underwent histological procedures. Inflammatory cell counts, osteoblast, and osteoclast cell counts were determined in hematoxylin-eosin-stained slides, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ, cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, receptor activator of nuclear factor κ-B (RANKL), and osteoprotegerin (OPG) expressions were evaluated by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

Control group had the lowest bone loss, and periodontitis group which kept ligatures had the highest bone loss compared to the other groups. Ligature removal provided significant improvement in bone measurements. Cinnamic acid groups also showed lower bone loss compared to the periodontitis group. The inflammatory cell and osteoclast counts were also higher in the periodontitis group, and both applications of cinnamic acid decreased these values. Osteoblast cells were the lowest in the periodontitis group, and cinnamic acid increased these counts. PPAR-γ and COX-2 levels were higher in the periodontitis group, and cinnamic acid decreased these levels but not to a significant level except for the cinnamic acid liposome ligature removal group, which had significantly lower values in the PPAR-γ and COX-2. OPG levels were lower in the periodontitis group compared to the other groups. Cinnamic acid significantly decreased RANKL and increased OPG levels.

CONCLUSION

Periodontitis caused increased inflammation and bone destruction accompanied by increased PPAR-γ, COX-2, and RANKL levels and osteoclast counts. Cinnamic acid decreased osteoclast counts and inflammation and increased osteoblast counts and OPG expression in the present animal model of periodontitis.