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Updated: Aug 2, 2026
Porphyromonas gingivalis as a Model Organism for Assessing Interaction of Anaerobic Bacteria with Host Cells
Published on: December 17, 2015
VIP Inhibits Porphyromonas gingivalis LPS-induced immune responses in human monocytes
N Foster1, J Cheetham, J J Taylor
1Oral Microbiology and Host Responses Group, School of Dental Sciences, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE2 4BW, UK. neil.foster@ncl.ac.uk
Abstract:
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from the Gram-negative pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) stimulates cytokine secretion in immune cells, and thereby initiates the inflammation associated with periodontitis. Modulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine activity is a plausible therapeutic target in periodontal disease. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) has a role in immunoregulation, and has been identified as a molecule with therapeutically beneficial immunosuppressive effects in inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. We aimed to investigate the effect of VIP on immune responses induced by Pg LPS in vitro. VIP (10(-8) M) significantly (P < 0.05) inhibits TNF-alpha production by human monocytic THP1 cells stimulated with Pg LPS. In parallel, we showed that VIP inhibits nuclear translocation of NFkappaB and c-Jun in a time-dependent manner, but does not decrease the expression of CD14 receptors. This is the first report to show the potential of VIP as an immunomodulator of Pg-stimulated inflammatory pathways in human monocytes.
