Researchers Examine T_H17 Cells’ Role in Periodontal Inflammation

A study by the National Institutes of Health and University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in Philadelphia suggests a substrate of T cells may contribute to the inflammation and bone loss associated with periodontitis. Reporting in the paper, “A Dysbiotic Microbiome Triggers T_H17 Cells to Mediate Oral Mucosal Immunopathology in Mice and Humans,” published in Science Translational Medicine, the team examined the role of T_H17 cells in the periodontal disease process.

Previously, scientists had discovered that compared to healthy controls, gingival tissue from patients with periodontitis contained higher numbers of T_H17 cells. In the current study, mice were treated with broad- or narrow-spectrum antibiotics. Only the antibiotics that reduced the number of T_H17 cells were able to suppress the disease process, according to researchers. The team used a mouse model missing a protein required for T_H17 cell development, and a group of human subjects with a mutation in the corresponding gene, Stat3. They found the mutation cut the number of T_H17 cells in gingival tissue, and also protected against bone loss associated with periodontitis.

These findings indicate the development of an antibiotic that targets T_H17 cell development offers promise as a periodontal therapy, and may also have applications for managing rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.