Lactobacillus sp. attenuates oral and hepatic alterations and decreases caspase-8 expression in ligature-induced periodontitis

Authors

  • Victor Lucas Ribeiro Lopes Universidade Federal do Delta do Parnaíba (UFDPar). Laboratório de Análise e Processamento Histológico (LAPHIS).
  • Even Herlany Pereira Alves Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel). Departamento de Morfologia.
  • Alan Leandro Farias de Carvalho lUniversidade Federal do Delta do Parnaíba (UFDPar). Laboratório de Análise e Processamento Histológico (LAPHIS).
  • Vinícius da Silva Caetano Universidade Federal do Delta do Parnaíba (UFDPar). Laboratório de Análise e Processamento Histológico (LAPHIS).
  • Hélio Mateus Silva Nascimento Universidade Federal do Delta do Parnaíba (UFDPar). Laboratório de Análise e Processamento Histológico (LAPHIS).
  • Maria Vitoria Pereira de Sousa Universidade Federal do Delta do Parnaíba (UFDPar). Laboratório de Análise e Processamento Histológico (LAPHIS.
  • Paulo Roberto Carneiro Gomes Universidade Federal do Delta do Parnaíba (UFDPar). Laboratório de Análise e Processamento Histológico (LAPHIS).
  • Any Carolina Cardoso Guimarães Vasconcelos Faculdade de Medicina (Afya)
  • André Luiz dos Reis Barbosa Universidade Federal do Delta do Parnaíba (UFDPar). Laboratório de Fisiologia-Farmacologia Experimental (LAFFEX).
  • Daniel Fernando Pereira Vasconcelos Universidade Federal do Delta do Parnaíba (UFDPar). Laboratório de Análise e Processamento Histológico (LAPHIS).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-7765-2026-0143

Keywords:

Anti-Inflammatory agents, Antioxidants, Fatty Liver, Periodontal diseases

Abstract

Background  Periodontitis affects millions of people and is characterized by the accumulation of bacteria in the gingival sulcus with an immune-inflammatory response of the body causing effects. There is a notable relation between periodontitis and steatosis, in which caspase-8 may be a relevant player in the pathophysiology of these conditions. This study is the first to investigate the effect of treatment based on Lactobacillus sp. on steatosis and caspase-8 expression in a ligature-induced periodontitis model. This study aims to investigate whether treatment with Lactobacillus sp. reduces oral and hepatic changes caused by ligature-induced periodontitis. Methodology  Twenty-four Wistar rats were separated into groups: control, periodontitis, and periodontitis plus Lactobacillus sp. Administration of 1 mL of fermented milk containing 108 CFU/mL of Lactobacillus sp. by gavage was performed daily for 20 days of ligature-induced periodontitis. After the treatment, we evaluated the gingival bleeding index (GBI), tooth mobility, probing pocket depth (PPD), alveolar bone loss, histomorphometry, and histopathological aspects of liver, as well as the levels of glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO). We also evaluated caspase-8-positive cells and blood biomarkers. Results  Lactobacillus sp. reduced inflammatory clinical parameters, including GBI, PPD, and tooth mobility, as well as neutrophil infiltration in gingival tissue. Morphometric analysis showed significantly less alveolar bone loss. Analysis of hepatic tissue showed reduced neutrophilic infiltration and improved antioxidant activity. Treatment also decreased caspase-8 expression. Conclusions  Lactobacillus sp. significantly reduced the clinical parameters of periodontal lesion and steatosis score, improved hepatic oxidative status, and decreased caspase-8 expression in the liver tissue.

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Published

2026-07-17

Issue

Vol. 34 (2026)

Section

Original Articles

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How to Cite

Lopes, V. L. R., Alves, E. H. P., Carvalho, A. L. F. de, Caetano, V. da S., Nascimento, H. M. S., Sousa, M. V. P. de, Gomes, P. R. C., Vasconcelos, A. C. C. G., Barbosa, A. L. dos R., & Vasconcelos, D. F. P. (2026). Lactobacillus sp. attenuates oral and hepatic alterations and decreases caspase-8 expression in ligature-induced periodontitis. Journal of Applied Oral Science, 34, e2026-0143. https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-7765-2026-0143