Possibility of Prostaglandin E_2 as a drug for periodontal disease.

我们使用体外和体内实验系统研究了前列腺素 E_2 (PGE_2) 在骨代谢中的合成代谢作用以及 PGE_2 作为牙周病药物的可能性。当从大鼠颅盖（RC）细胞体外培养开始时添加PGE_2时，PGE_2增加了培养皿中形成的骨结节（BN）的数量，并且在3 x 10^<-8>M时表现出最大效果。当培养21天后添加3 x 10^<-8>M PGE_2时，PGE_2组中BN的矿化率升高。这些结果表明PGE_2刺激从骨祖细胞向成骨细胞的分化以及成熟成骨细胞的功能。另一方面，使用金黄仓鼠的体内研究表明，每日皮下注射PGE_2可抑制由粘性放线菌ATCC 15987感染引起的牙槽骨吸收。这些体内研究结果反映了体外试验的数据，牙槽骨吸收可能由于PGE_2的合成代谢作用而受到抑制。我们目前的研究结果强烈表明 PGE_2 作为牙周病药物的可能性。

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.