Periodontitis is a disease that leads to bone
destruction and represents the main cause of tooth loss in
adults. The development of aggressive periodontitis has been
associated with increased inflammatory response that is
induced by the presence of a subgingival biofilm containing
Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. The flavonoid quercetin
(1) is widespread in vegetables and fruits and exhibits many
biological properties for possible medical and clinical
applications such as its anti-inflamatory and antioxidant effects.
Thus, in the present study, the properties of 1 have been
evaluated in bone loss and inflammation using a mouse
periodontitis model induced by A. actinomycetemcomitans
infection. Subcutaneous treatment with 1 reduced A. actinomycetemcomitans-induced bone loss and IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-17,
RANKL, and ICAM-1 production in the gingival tissue without affecting bacterial counts. These results demonstrated that
quercetin exhibits protective effects in A. actinomycetemcomitans-induced periodontitis in mice by modulating cytokine and
ICAM-1 production.