Vitamin D inhibits the expression of interleukin-8 in human periodontal ligament cells stimulated with Porphyromonas gingivalis

ObjectiveVitamin D has been known to be closely associated with periodontitis while the exact mechanisms remain unclear. The present study aimed to discover the effects of 1a,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D) on the expressions of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 in human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs) stimulated with Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) W83.DesignPrimary cultures of hPDLCs from ten donors were established and the cells of passage four were treated with 1,25D or P. gingivalis individually or 1,25D combined with P. gingivalis. The levels of IL-6 and IL-8 protein in hPDLCs were detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the mRNA levels were detected with real-time RT-PCR.ResultsP. gingivalis significantly promoted the protein expressions of IL-6 and IL-8. P. gingivalis at the multiplicity of infection (MOI) 100 exerted the strongest promotion effect on the IL-6 protein expression by 5.83-fold compared with the controls (2482.88 ± 26.53 pg/ml versus 425.80 ± 77.25 pg/ml, P < 0.0005) and the IL-8 protein expression by 12.39-fold (4965.81 ± 1072.55 pg/ml versus 400.75 ± 2.27 pg/ml, P = 0.005) in hPDLCs at 24 h. At 48 h, 10−8 mol/L 1,25D had the best inhibition on the IL-8 protein expression in hPDLCs by 2.00-fold compared with the controls (100.76 ± 21.11 pg/ml versus 201.75 ± 18.15 pg/ml, P < 0.0005) and the IL-8 mRNA expression by 2.13-fold (P < 0.0005). 10−8 mol/L 1,25D combined with P. gingivalis (MOI 100) exerted the strongest inhibition effect on the IL-8 protein expression by 1.54-fold compared with P. gingivalis treatment alone (3077.33 ± 210.04 pg/ml versus 4738.24 ± 1386.17 pg/ml, P = 0.018) and the IL-8 mRNA expression by 1.78-fold (P = 0.012) in hPDLCs at 12 h. 1,25D did not influence the expression of IL-6 in hPDLCs with or without P. gingivalis treatment.ConclusionVitamin D may potentially inhibit the periodontal inflammation induced by P. gingivalis partly by decreasing the IL-8 expression in hPDLCs.