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Updated: Jun 28, 2026
Induction of Periodontitis via a Combination of Ligature and Lipopolysaccharide Injection in a Rat Model
Published on: February 17, 2023
[Protective effect of baicalin on experimental periodontitis in rats and its possible mechanisms]
Xia Cai1, Cheng-zhang Li, Zheng-guo Cao
1Key Laboratory for Oral Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China.
Objective:
To investigate the effect of baicalin on the experimental periodontitis in rats, as well as the expression of MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-9.
Methods:
Twenty-seven adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups, with 9 rats in each group. A nylon thread was placed around the lower first molars of rats, which were sacrificed after 7 days. Baicalin (200 mg/kg) was administered to the experimental group by oral gavage, starting one day before the induction of periodontitis. The negative control group received vehicle (0.5% carboxymethylcellulose) alone. The blank control group did not get induction of periodontitis. The alveolar bone loss (ABL) and the area fraction (AA% ) occupied by collagen fibers were assessed. MMP-1, MMP-2 and MMP-9 protein expressions in the gingiva were detected by immunohistochemistry.
Results:
Baicalin treatment significantly decreased ABL compared with the negative control group (P = 0.009). AA% of collagen fibers was significantly higher in baicalin-treated group than in the negative control group (P = 0.047). Baicalin treatment significantly down-regulated the protein expression for MMP-1 (P = 0.023) and MMP-9 (P = 0.042) and decreased the expression for MMP-2 (P = 0.099) compared with the negative control group.
Conclusions:
Baicalin protects against tissue damage in ligature-induced periodontitis in rats, which might be mediated in part by its inhibitory effect on the expression of MMP-1, MMP-2 and MMP-9.
