Multi-organ frailty is enhanced by periodontitis-induced inflammaging

The incidence of periodontitis is high in older individuals. However, its impact on multi-organ frailty remains unclear. We developed mouse models with varying severity and duration of periodontitis to examine its effects.

We generated mouse models with mild and severe periodontitis, categorizing the disease duration into 3-month and 5-month periods for analysis. The organs assessed for frailty included the gastrocnemius muscle, soleus muscle, brain, and femur.

Our study found that periodontitis induced systemic inflammation resembling inflammaging and other symptoms characteristic of age-induced frailty. Notably, muscle impairment developed specifically in slow-twitch muscles, and the femur emerged as the most vulnerable bone, exhibiting reduced bone mineral density even with mild and short-duration periodontitis. This condition resulted in the co-occurrence of bone fragility and slow-twitch muscle dysfunction. Cognitive function assessment revealed increased activated microglia and decreased adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus, impairing spatial learning. Thus, periodontitis induced both physical and cognitive frailties. Therapeutic intervention for the periodontitis, which halted the exacerbation of bone resorption markers, did not restore femur bone mineral density.

This study underscores the role of periodontitis in inducing multifaceted organ frailty with vulnerability, varying by organ, and the necessity of early intervention, particularly regarding bone density loss.