The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the ultrasound-microbubble technique in nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) decoy oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) transfection in the gingival tissue in mice. The 6-FAM-labeled scrambled decoy ODN with microbubbles was applied to the periodontal tissue in 8-week-old male C57BL/6J mice by ultrasound radiation at low (LUM-Sc) and high (HUM-Sc) intensities to optimize the transfection condition of the ultrasound-microbubble method. Histological inspections were performed two hours after transfection to compare the expression with that in the sham-operated group without ultrasound radiation (A-Sc). Then, an NF-κB decoy was transfected into the periodontal tissue using the high-intensity ultrasound-microbubble (HUM-NF) technique to examine the anti-inflammatory effects of the decoy ODN. Western blot analysis was performed to investigate the expression of interleukin(IL)-1β, IL-6 and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in the gingival tissues in the HUM-Sc, the HUM-NF and control groups. The fluorescence microscopy results showed that the fluorescent intensity in the periodontal tissues in the LUM-Sc and HUM-Sc groups was significantly higher than that in the A-Sc and the control groups. The fluorescent intensity in the HUM-Sc group, especially in the gingival connective tissue, was the highest of all groups. Western blot analysis indicated that the protein expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and ICAM-1 in the HUM-NF group were significantly lower than those in the HUM-Sc and the control groups. These findings suggest that the high-intensity ultrasound-microbubble technique is an effective tool for decoy transfection into the periodontal tissue.

OBJECTIVE: To three-dimensionally elucidate the effects of occlusal hypofunction on the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone proper of rat molars by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). METHODS: Occlusal function in the molar area was restricted by attaching an anterior bite plate on the maxillary incisors and a metal cap on the mandibular incisors of 5-week-old male Wistar rats for 1 week. The periodontal ligament space and alveolar bone proper around roots of the mandibular first molar were assessed by histology and micro-CT. RESULTS: The periodontal ligament space was narrower and the alveolar bone proper was sparser and less continuous in the hypofunction group than in the control group. Further, both the volume of the periodontal ligament and the volumetric ratio of the alveolar bone proper to the total tissue in the region of interest were significantly lower in the hypofunction group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Occlusal hypofunction induces atrophic changes in the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone proper of rat molars.
Animals ; Humans ; Incisor ; Male ; Molar* ; Periodontal Ligament* ; Rats* ; Rats, Wistar