Effects of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity on periodontal tissue destruction in rats

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis of an association between hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity and progression of periodontal disease. Histocompatible Lewis and Fischer 344 rats respond to stressful stimuli with low and high HPA axis reactivity, respectively. Experimental periodontitis was induced by tying a silk ligature around the neck of maxillary 2nd right molar teeth in 10 Lewis and 10 Fischer 344 rats with contralateral non-manipulated teeth as controls. Twenty non-manipulated animals were included. Also, experimental periodontitis was induced in 10 adrenalectomized Wistar rats and in 10 sham-operated rats. Furthermore, corticosterone pellets were subcutaneously implanted in 9 Lewis rats, while placebo pellets were implanted in 8 animals. Disease progression was evaluated histometrically and radiographically. The low-responding Lewis rats developed significantly less periodontal breakdown than did the high-responding Fischer 344 rats. Administration of corticosterone increased the disease development, while adrenalectomy reduced the disease severity. Our findings demonstrate the importance of genetic factors in the development of periodontal disease, and suggest that HPA axis hyper-activation is one mechanism by which periodontal disease susceptibility may be increased.