Dental News - Scientists find someone new to target in periodontitis fight

Sandra Shagat, USA

Tue. 26 May 2009

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SAN DIEGO, CA, USA: Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), School of Dentistry, in cooperation with the University of Michigan and the University of California, San Diego, have recently identified a potential new focus of treatments for osteoporosis, periodontitis and similar diseases. Dr Cun-Yu Wang, who holds UCLA’s No-Hee Park Endowed Chair in the dental school’s division of oral biology and medicine, and his team suggested that inhibiting nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB), a master protein that controls genes associated with inflammation and immunity, can prevent disabling bone loss by maintaining bone formation.

The NF-kB protein, a culprit in inflammatory and immune disorders, plays a major role in both osteoporosis and periodontitis, disrupting the healthy balance of bone destruction and formation. “Most studies focus on the part that NF-kB plays in the regulation of osteoclasts—bone-resorbing cells. For the past five years, we looked closely at the effect of NF-kB on osteoblasts—bone-forming cells,” said Wang. “We knew that NF-kB promoted resorption. What we discovered in our in vitro and in vivo studies is that this protein also inhibits new bone formation, giving us a fuller picture of its role in inflammation and immune responses.”

The findings could offer new hope to millions who struggle with osteoporosis and periodontitis each year. The US National Institutes of Health estimates that in the United States alone, more than 10 million people have osteoporosis, and many more have low bone mass, putting them at risk for the disease, as well as for broken bones. According to the American Academy of Periodontology, mild to moderate periodontitis affects a majority of adults, with between 5 and 20 per cent of the population suffering from a more severe stage of the disease.

Many currently available treatments work to prevent further bone loss but are not able to increase bone mass. Wang’s research results support the idea that a new drug that prevents the action of NF-kB in cells may represent a major therapeutic advance.

(Edited by Claudia Salwiczek, DTI)

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