The increased ratio of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 versus 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 in chronic periodontitis irrespective of obesity

The role of IL-31 and IL-34 in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic periodontitis

This study was devoted to demonstrating the role of IL-31 and IL-34 in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic periodontitis (CP). From the results, we found that the IL-31 and IL-34 levels were significantly increased in GCF and serum of CP patients compared with healthy controls or obese patients. Meanwhile, the area under the curve results further verified the diagnostic potential of IL-31 and IL-34 in terms of discriminating CP from obese patients at the GCF and serum levels. Finally, after 1 year of continuous treatment, we found that IL-31 and IL-34 levels were decreased in CP, suggesting their potential as biomarkers in CP treatment response. Monitoring GCF and serum levels of IL-31 and IL-34 contributed to CP detection and treatment response.

Inhibitory Effect of Periodontitis through C/EBP and 11β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 Regulation of Betulin Isolated from the Bark of Betula platyphylla

Periodontitis is an infectious inflammatory disease of the tissues around the tooth that destroys connective tissue and is characterized by loss of periodontal ligaments and alveolar bone. Currently, surgical methods for the treatment of periodontitis have limitations and new treatment strategies are needed. Therefore, this study evaluated the efficacy of the compound betulin isolated from bark of Betula platyphylla on the inhibition of periodontitis in vitro and in vivo periodontitis induction models. In the study, betulin inhibited pro-inflammatory mediators, such as tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and cyclooxygenase-2, in human periodontal ligament cells stimulated with Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (PG-LPS). In addition, it showed an anti-inflammatory effect by down-regulating 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 and transcription factor C/EBP β produced by PG-LPS. Moreover, PG-LPS inhibited the osteogenic induction of human periodontal ligament cells. The protein and mRNA levels of osteogenic markers, such as inhibited osteopontin (OPN) and runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), were regulated by betulin. In addition, the efficacy of betulin was demonstrated in a typical in vivo model of periodontitis induced by PG-LPS, and the results showed through hematoxylin & eosin staining and micro-computed tomography that the administration of betulin alleviated alveolar bone loss and periodontal inflammation caused by PG-LPS. Therefore, this study proved the efficacy of the compound betulin isolated from B. platyphylla in the inhibition of periodontitis and alveolar bone loss, two important strategies for the treatment of periodontitis, suggesting the potential as a new treatment for periodontitis.

Design, synthesis, molecular docking and in vitro evaluation of benzothiazole derivatives as 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 inhibitors

11-Beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) regulates cortisol levels mainly in adipose, hepatic and brain tissues. There is a relationship between the high activity of this enzyme and the development of obesity and metabolic disorders. The inhibition of 11β-HSD1 has been shown to attenuate the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and other diseases mediated by excessive cortisol production. In this work, fifteen benzothiazole derivatives substituted with electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups were designed to explore their affinity for 11β-HSD1 using in silico methods. The results show that (E)-5-((benzo[d]thiazol-2-ylimino)(methylthio)methylamino)-2-hydroxybenzoic acid (C1) has good physicochemical properties and favorable interactions with 11β-HSD1 through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions in the catalytic site formed by Y183, S170 and Y177. Furthermore, C1 was synthesized and evaluated in vitro and ex vivo using clobenzorex (CLX) as a reference drug in obese Zucker rats. The in vitro results showed that C1 was a better inhibitor of human 11β-HSD1 than CLX. The ex vivo assay results demonstrated that C1 was capable of reducing 11β-HSD1 overexpression in mesenteric adipose tissue. Therefore, C1 was able to decrease the activity and expression of 11β-HSD1 better than CLX.

Characterisation of the cancer-associated glucocorticoid system: key role of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2

Background:

Recent studies have shown that production of cortisol not only takes place in several non-adrenal peripheral tissues such as epithelial cells but, also, the local inter-conversion between cortisone and cortisol is regulated by the 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (11β-HSDs). However, little is known about the activity of this non-adrenal glucocorticoid system in cancers.

Methods:

The presence of a functioning glucocorticoid system was assessed in human skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and melanoma and further, in 16 epithelial cell lines from 8 different tissue types using ELISA, western blotting and immunofluorescence. 11β-HSD2 was inhibited both pharmacologically and by siRNA technology. Naïve CD8⁺ T cells were used to test the paracrine effects of cancer-derived cortisol on the immune system in vitro. Functional assays included cell–cell adhesion and cohesion in two- and three-dimensional models. Immunohistochemical data of 11β-HSD expression were generated using tissue microarrays of 40 cases of human SCCs as well as a database featuring 315 cancer cases from 15 different tissues.

Results:

We show that cortisol production is a common feature of malignant cells and has paracrine functions. Cortisol production correlated with the magnitude of glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-dependent inhibition of tumour-specific CD8⁺ T cells in vitro. 11β-HSDs were detectable in human skin SCCs and melanoma. Analyses of publicly available protein expression data of 11β-HSDs demonstrated that 11β-HSD1 and -HSD2 were dysregulated in the majority (73%) of malignancies. Pharmacological manipulation of 11β-HSD2 activity by 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) and silencing by specific siRNAs modulated the bioavailability of cortisol. Cortisol also acted in an autocrine manner and promoted cell invasion in vitro and cell–cell adhesion and cohesion in two- and three-dimensional models. Immunohistochemical analyses using tissue microarrays showed that expression of 11β-HSD2 was significantly reduced in human SCCs of the skin.

Conclusions:

The results demonstrate evidence of a cancer-associated glucocorticoid system and show for the first time, the functional significance of cancer-derived cortisol in tumour progression.

The expression of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 is increased in experimental periodontitis in rats

Background

The involvement of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1), which converts inactive glucocorticoids into active glucocorticoids intracellularly, in metabolic diseases and chronic inflammatory diseases has been elucidated. We recently reported that an increase in 11β-HSD1 expression was associated with chronic periodontitis in humans irrespective of obesity. To further clarify the role of 11β-HSD1 in chronic periodontitis, the expression of 11β-HSD1 was investigated in experimental periodontitis model in rats.

Methods

Experimental periodontitis was induced by silk ligature of left maxillary second molars of 7-week-old male Wistar rats, and periodontal tissues were collected at day 3. The expression of 11β-HSD1, 11β-HSD2, and TNFα mRNA was examined using real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The expression of TNFα was used as an indicator of inflammation. Thus, the rats in which the levels of TNFα mRNA were increased in the ligature-induced periodontitis compared with the control were analysed.

Results

The findings demonstrated that the expression of 11β-HSD1 mRNA was significantly increased in experimental periodontitis compared with the control. The increase in the levels of 11β-HSD1 mRNA in the ligature-induced periodontitis compared with the control was positively correlated with that of TNFα mRNA. On the other hand, the expression of 11β-HSD2 mRNA, which inactivates glucocorticoids, was slightly decreased in experimental periodontitis. Therefore, the ratio of 11β-HSD1 versus 11β-HSD2 mRNA was significantly higher in experimental periodontitis than in the control.

Conclusions

These results suggest that the increased expression of 11β-HSD1, which would result in the increased levels of intracellular glucocorticoids, may play a role in the pathophysiology of experimental periodontitis.