The effects of hydrogen sulphide on alveolar bone loss in periodontitis

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S), recently considered the third endogenous gaseous transmitter capable of modulating many physiological processes. The purpose of this study was to analyze the morphometric and histopathological changes associated with experimental periodontitis in rats in response to systemic administration of H2S METHODS: Forty-eight Wistar rats were divided into six experimental groups: non-ligated (NL) group; ligature only (LO) group; systemic administration of NaHS (H2S donor drug) alone (NaHS) group (14 µmol/kg body weight per day); and ligature placed and systemic administration of three different doses of NaHS groups (14, 28 and 70 µmol/kg/day) (L-NaHS-14, L-NaHS-28 and L-NaHS-70, respectively). Silk ligatures were placed at the gingival margin of lower first molars. Changes in alveolar bone levels were clinically measured and tissues were histopathologically examined.

At the end of 15 days alveolar bone loss significantly higher in the entire ligature (LO and L-NaHS-14, -28 and -70) groups compared to the unligated groups (P<0.05) but there were no statistically significant differences in alveolar bone loss between LO and L-NaHS groups. Osteoclast number was significantly lower in L-NaHS-70 group than those of L-NaHS-14 and L-NaHS-28 groups (P<0.05). The osteoblastic activity of the L-NaHS-14 and -70 groups were significantly higher than those of the other groups (P<0.05).

The findings of this study suggested that NaHS, when administered systemically with three different doses, did not prevent or increase alveolar bone loss in the rat model.