Anti-inflammatory effects of ginseng extracts on gingival cells

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Objectives: Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease caused by periodontopathic microorganisms in dental plaque. The lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetemcomitans) are a major etiological agent in localized aggressive periodontitis. One target of LPS is periodontal ligament (PDL) cells, which play an important role in the remodeling of periodontal tissue and alveolar bone. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the Korean red ginseng extract (KRGE) on the production of pro-inflammatory mediators (Interleukin(IL)-6, IL-8, Cox2) by human PDL cells stimulated by A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS.

Methods: Three types of KRGEs (SA, RG1 and RG2) were used. For the concentration determination, PDL cells viability was tested by MTS assay with different concentrations of KRGEs following 4mM sodium nitroprusside (SNP) treatment. IL-6, IL-8 and Cox2 production in PDL cells by A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS stimulation (1 and 5µg/ml) or A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS stimulation with KRGEs pretreatment was evaluated by RT-PCR analysis.

Results: Pretreatment with KRGEs inhibited cell death induced by SNP treatment. The effective concentrations of KRGEs were SA 60µg/ml, RG1 600µg/ml and RG2 700µg/ml, respectively. Although the effect was different between types of KRGEs or concentrations of A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS, pro-inflammatory mediators production were attenuated after treatment of KRGEs (Fig). Especially, IL-8 production was significantly attenuated after 5g/ml A. actinomycetemcomitans LPS stimulation with KRGEs treatment.

Conclusions: These results indicate that KRGEs take part in PDL cell survival and possesses anti-inflammatory properties in vitro. Therefore, this study suggests that KRGEs offers promising perspective agents in development of novel therapies for the treatment of periodontitis. This work was supported by the Korea Ginseng Corporation (KGC, Korea).