Carotid sinus nerve stimulation attenuates alveolar bone loss and inflammation in experimental periodontitis

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 19258
• Main Authors: Ribeiro, Aline Barbosa, Brognara, Fernanda, da Silva, Josiane Fernandes, Castania, Jaci Airton, Fernandes, Patrícia Garani, Tostes, Rita C., Salgado, Helio Cesar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 06.11.2020; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/250; 631/443; 692/4019; Alveolar bone; Alveolar Bone Loss - metabolism; Alveolar Bone Loss - pathology; Alveolar Bone Loss - therapy; Animals; Blood pressure; Bone loss; Carotid sinus; Carotid Sinus - innervation; Catheters; Cytokines; Disease; Electric Stimulation Therapy; Electrical stimuli; Electrodes; Femoral artery; Gum disease; Humanities and Social Sciences; Immune system; Inflammation; Inflammation - metabolism; Inflammation - pathology; Inflammation - therapy; Jaw; Laboratory animals; Male; multidisciplinary; Nervous system; Periodontal diseases; Periodontitis; Periodontitis - metabolism; Periodontitis - pathology; Periodontitis - therapy; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Reflexes; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Silicones; Surgery; Veins & arteries
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76194-z

Baroreceptor and chemoreceptor reflexes modulate inflammatory responses. However, whether these reflexes attenuate periodontal diseases has been poorly examined. Thus, the present study determined the effects of electrical activation of the carotid sinus nerve (CSN) in rats with periodontitis. We hypothesized that activation of the baro and chemoreflexes attenuates alveolar bone loss and the associated inflammatory processes. Electrodes were implanted around the CSN, and bilateral ligation of the first mandibular molar was performed to, respectively, stimulate the CNS and induce periodontitis. The CSN was stimulated daily for 10 min, during nine days, in unanesthetized animals. On the eighth day, a catheter was inserted into the left femoral artery and, in the next day, the arterial pressure was recorded. Effectiveness of the CNS electrical stimulation was confirmed by hypotensive responses, which was followed by the collection of a blood sample, gingival tissue, and jaw. Long-term (9 days) electrical stimulation of the CSN attenuated bone loss and the histological damage around the first molar. In addition, the CSN stimulation also reduced the gingival and plasma pro-inflammatory cytokines induced by periodontitis. Thus, CSN stimulation has a protective effect on the development of periodontal disease mitigating alveolar bone loss and inflammatory processes.