Effects of amoxicillin on cytokine and osteocalcin expression in bone tissue during experimental acute otitis media

There are indications that bone regulatory and immune systems are closely related. Of special interest in this context is the acute otitis media (AOM), which mainly affects immunologically immature patients and, when complicated, involves bone tissue. To explore host responses in bone tissue during Haemophilus influenzae-induced AOM modified by amoxicillin, a rat model and PCR techniques were used. The treatment eradicated the bacteria and induced changes in the expression profile of osteocalcin, a bone formation marker. The maximum levels of osteocalcin transcripts in the treatment group were delayed by about a week. The mRNA levels never reached the same high levels as in the untreated animal group, but the downregulation was slow and entailed higher osteocalcin mRNA levels for a longer time period in the treated animals. The expression of IL-6 and TNF-alpha, two cytokines associated with bone resorption, remained unaffected by the amoxicillin treatment, whereas the downregulation of IL-10, with suppressive effects on bone resorption, was slower than that during the natural course. By comparing the host responses on the molecular level in different tissues during treated and untreated AOM, new approaches to how to minimize the risks of severe AOM complications may evolve.