Periodontitis contributes to adipose tissue inflammation through the NF-<kappa>B, JNK and ERK pathways to promote insulin resistance in a rat model

This study aimed to investigate the mechanism by which periodontitis affects the inflammatory response and systemic insulin resistance in the white adipose and liver tissues in an obese rat model. The obese model was generated by feeding rats a high fat diet. The periodontitis model was induced by ligatures and injection of “red complex”, which consisted of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia, for two weeks. When compared with rats without periodontitis, fasting glucose levels and homeostasis model assessment index were significantly increased in rats with periodontitis, suggesting that periodontitis promotes the development of insulin resistance in obese rats. Gene and protein expression analysis in white adipose and liver tissue revealed that experimental periodontitis stimulated the expression of inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factors-alpha, interleukin-1 beta, toll-like receptor 2 and toll-like receptor 4. Signals associated with inflammation and insulin resistance, including nuclear factor- B, c-Jun amino-terminal kinase and extracellular-signal regulated kinase were significantly activated in the white adipose tissue from obese rats with periodontitis compared to obese rats without periodontitis. Taken together, these findings suggest that periodontitis plays an important role in aggravating the development of local white adipose inflammation and systemic insulin resistance in rat models.