INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ORAL-MEDICAL SCIENCES

Vol. 6 No. 3      March - 2008

ISSN: 1347-9733      UBIC: 136-M

Abstract

In this study, we assessed the potential of a nasal vaccine against oral Porphyromonas gingivalis infection for the prevention of P. gingivalis accelerated atherosclerosis. Apolipoprotein E-deficient spontaneously hyperlipidemic (ApoeSh1) mice were nasally immunized with the 40-kDa outer membrane protein (40k-OMP) of P. gingivalis plus cholera toxin (CT) as adjuvant and then challenged orally with P. gingivalis. Ather omatous lesions in the proximal aorta of each animal were analyzed histomorphometrically and the serum concentrations of (40kOMP) specific antibodies were examined. Oral infection of ApoeSh1 mice with P. gingivalis resulted in increased alveolar bone loss. Furthermore, the areas of the aortic sinus that were covered with atherosclerotic plaque were increased in those infected mice when compared with non-infect ed, control mice. However, nasal immunization of ApoeSh1 mice with 40k-OMP plus CT as adjuvant induced significant levels of 40k-OMP-specific serum IgG and salivary IgA antibody responses. Interestingly, when ApoeSh1 mice were nasally immunized with 4OkOMP plus CT before the infection, alveolar bone loss as along with atherosclerotic plaque accumulation in the aortic sinus were significantly reduced. These results suggest that oral infection with P. gingivalis accelerates atherosclerosis in ApoeSh1 mice and that 40k-OMP plus CT may be an effective nasal vaccine for the prevention of atherosclerosis accelerat ed by P. gingivalis infection. Keywords: atherosclerosis, nasal immunization, outer membrane protein, Porphyromonas gingivalis.

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