Effect of citral on Periodontal Disease in rats

• Grant number: 23/08395-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: October 01, 2023
• Status: Discontinued
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Guilherme de Siqueira Branco
• Grantee: Wanderson da Silva dos Santos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto (FORP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/16101-5 - Injectable Citral-Loaded Nanotube-Modified GelMA Hydrogel for Periodontitis Treatment, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease that affects the protective and supportive tissue, with scaling and root planing as the standard treatment. In recent years, different therapeutic strategies have been proposed for the adjuvant treatment of periodontal pathologies, but little is known about how natural substances can interact with the progression of periodontal disease and the host's immune response. Previous studies demonstrate a marked anti-inflammatory and antibacterial action of citral, which is an essential oil mixture present in plants such as lemongrass and ginger, but there are no reports on the possible effect of citral on periodontitis. Thus, this study intends to evaluate the action of citral, using periodontitis induced in rats by ligature. 108 Wistar Hannover rats will be selected, divided into 6 groups (n=9). After 15 days of ligation, the following will be evaluated: 1) the magnitude of the inflammatory process (by measuring the concentration of cytokines in the plasma and gingiva, 2) the bone support (utilizing histological analysis), and 3) analysis of the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 (through conventional zymography). In vitro, studies should precede the in vivo approach and should include: 1) peritoneal macrophage cultures, 2) osteoblast cultures, and 3) osteoclast cultures. The results of this project may contribute to the understanding of the inflammatory process observed in periodontitis, bringing insights into new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of periodontitis. (AU)