Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia.
Department of Stomatology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Comenius University, 812 50 Bratislava, Slovakia.
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Feb 27;22(5):2390. doi: 10.3390/ijms22052390.
Periodontitis is a chronic disease with a complex etiology that includes bacterial colonization, excessive inflammation, and oxidative stress. The hormone melatonin has antioxidant properties and might contribute to alleviating chronic conditions by reducing oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of exogenous melatonin on periodontitis in an animal model of the disease as well as in patients with periodontitis.
In rats with ligature-induced periodontitis, melatonin was administered in drinking water for two weeks. In the human study, patients with treatment-resistant periodontitis were asked to rinse their mouths with a solution containing melatonin or placebo every evening for two weeks. Periodontal status as well as salivary markers of oxidative stress were assessed at the end of the study.
Neither radiography nor μCT revealed any significant effects of melatonin on alveolar bone loss. Gum recession was the only improved macroscopic measure in rats ( < 0.05). Analysis of salivary markers of oxidative stress revealed no effects of treatment in rats or humans despite clearly elevated melatonin concentrations in melatonin treated groups.
Our results do not support the use of melatonin for the treatment of periodontitis. However, the negative outcome is limited by the short duration of the study and the chosen route of application as well as the dose of melatonin.
牙周炎是一种病因复杂的慢性疾病，包括细菌定植、过度炎症和氧化应激。褪黑素具有抗氧化特性，通过减轻氧化应激，可能有助于缓解慢性疾病。本研究旨在分析外源性褪黑素对动物牙周炎模型和牙周炎患者的影响。
在结扎诱导的牙周炎大鼠中，通过饮用水给予褪黑素治疗两周。在人体研究中，要求治疗抵抗性牙周炎患者每晚用含有褪黑素或安慰剂的溶液漱口两周。研究结束时评估牙周状况和唾液氧化应激标志物。
无论射线照相还是 μCT 都没有显示褪黑素对牙槽骨丢失有任何显著影响。牙龈退缩是大鼠唯一改善的宏观指标（<0.05）。尽管褪黑素治疗组的褪黑素浓度明显升高，但对大鼠和人类的唾液氧化应激标志物分析未显示出治疗效果。
我们的结果不支持使用褪黑素治疗牙周炎。然而，负面结果受到研究持续时间短、选择的应用途径以及褪黑素剂量的限制。
