Evaluation of the preventive potential of Tanshinone sulfonate in experimental periodontitis: Radiographic and inflammatory aspects

• Grant number: 24/21561-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Periodontology
• Principal Investigator: Rafael Scaf de Molon
• Grantee: Marcos Vinícius Alves
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia (FOA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araçatuba. Araçatuba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Periodontitis is a highly prevalent chronic inflammatory disease with a multifactorial etiology that develops as a result of complex host-parasite interactions. A dysbiotic bacterial biofilm in contact with gingival tissues initiates a cascade of inflammatory events, mediated and modulated by the host immune response. This process is characterized by an increased expression of various inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines and chemokines, in the connective tissue. Periodontitis leads to the destruction of the supporting tissues around the teeth, including the periodontal ligament, cementum, and alveolar bone. This process depends on the differentiation and activity of osteoclasts, the cells responsible for resorbing bone tissue. Thus, inhibiting the differentiation or activity of these cells is a viable strategy to control bone resorption during periodontitis progression. Tanshinones are natural substances derived from Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen), known for their diverse biological properties, including anti-resorptive activity. These compounds can specifically inhibit the collagenolytic activity of Cathepsin K, an enzyme secreted by osteoclasts that contributes to the degradation of the organic phase of the bone matrix, without interfering with osteoclast differentiation. Given the biological potential of Tanshinone IIa sulfonate and the site-specific nature of periodontitis, this study aims to evaluate the efficacy of the local application of this compound on the inflammatory and anti-resorptive aspects in a model of ligature-induced bone loss in mice. The outcomes to be analyzed include the assessment of the inflammatory process in connective tissue through descriptive histological analysis, stereometric analysis, and evaluation of alveolar bone loss inhibition using micro-computed tomography and histometry.