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Metformin attenuates alveolar bone destruction in mice with apical periodontitis and inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokine synthesis in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 through the AMPK-mTOR-NF-κB pathway

Chunmei Ren, Kento Tazawa, Nobuyuki Kawashima, Risa Ohshima, Yamato Okada, Shihan Wang, Ziniu Yu, Peifeng Han et al.

Frontiers in Immunology, 2025

13 citations

Abstract

Introduction Apical periodontitis, caused by bacterial infection through the root canals, is characterized by chronic inflammation and bone resorption around the root apex. Metformin, a first-line therapeutic drug for type 2 diabetes mellitus, has attracted attention for its potential anti-inflammatory properties and role in regulating bone homeostasis. The hypothesis in this study was that metformin inhibits bone destruction in apical periodontitis by suppressing macrophage-mediated inflammatory responses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of systemic metformin administration on experimentally induced apical periodontitis development in an animal model and clarify the underlying anti-inflammatory mechanism of metformin in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated mouse macrophages. Methods Evaluations on the effects of metformin on the progression of periapical lesions were conducted in experimentally induced mouse apical periodontitis in vivo, and its anti-inflammatory effects in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages in vitro were analyzed. Results Metformin significantly reduced periapical bone destruction on postoperative days 21 and 28, and decreased the number of osteoclasts on the periapical alveolar bone on postoperative day 28. It also suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and nuclear factor kappa B signaling in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7. RNA-sequencing data revealed the downregulation of the mammalian target of rapamycin…

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