Possibility of Prostaglandin E_2 as a drug for periodontal disease.

本文利用体外和体内实验系统，研究了前列腺素E_2(PGE_2)对骨代谢的合成作用，以及PGE_2作为牙周病药物的可能性。从体外培养的大鼠颅骨细胞开始加入前列腺素E_2，可增加培养皿中骨结节的形成，以3×10~(-8)M作用最大。21天后加入3×10~(-8)M前列腺素E_2组，骨结节矿化率增加。这些结果表明，PGE_2既能刺激成骨细胞向成骨细胞分化，又能促进成熟成骨细胞的功能。另一方面，用金黄地鼠进行的体内研究表明，每日皮下注射前列腺素E_2可抑制粘性放线菌ATCC 15987感染所致的牙槽骨吸收。这些体内实验结果反映了体外实验的结果，PGE_2的合成代谢作用可能抑制了牙槽骨的吸收。我们的研究结果为PGE_2作为牙周病药物的可能性提供了有力的证据。

We investigated an anabolic effect of prostaglandin E_2 (PGE_2) in bone metabolism and the possibility of PGE_2 as a drug for periodontal disease using in vitro and in vivo experimental systems. When PGE_2 was added from the start of rat calvaria (RC) cell cultures in vitro, PGE_2 increased the number of bone nodules (BNs) formed in the culture dish and showed maximum effect at 3 x 10^<-8>M.When 3 x 10^<-8>M PGE_2 was added after 21-day culture, mineralization ratio of BNs was elevated in PGE_2-group. These results suggest that PGE_2 stimulate both differentiation from osteoprogenitors to osteoblasts and the function of matured osteoblasts. On the other hand, in vivo study using golden hamsters revealed that daily subcutaneous injection of PGE_2 inhibited alveolar bone resorption which were induced by infection of Actinomyces viscosus ATCC 15987. These in vivo findings reflect the data from in vitro assays and alveolar bone resorption might be suppressed as a result of the anabolic effect of PGE_2. Our present findings give a strong suggestion to a possibility of PGE_2 as the drug for periodontal disease.