Study shows that statins could help fight gum disease

Could taking statins benefit your mouth in addition to your arteries? A new study conducted in cell cultures has shown that cholesterol-lowering drugs help alleviate the inflammation associated with periodontal disease by changing the behavior of macrophages, a type of immune cell.

Statins are the most common type of prescription drug in the United States today, taken by over 40 million Americans to lower cholesterol. The study suggests that these drugs improve gum health and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Subramanya Pandruvada, assistant professor in the College of Dentistry at the Medical University of South Carolina, oversaw the project.

“During our study, we replicated specific conditions in periodontal disease and showed that introducing statins into our in vitro model modifies the macrophage response,” Pandruvada said. “This has allowed us to explore how drugs like statins can help us treat inflammatory conditions like periodontal disease.”

Pandruvada will present the new research at Discover BMB, the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, which takes place March 23–26 in San Antonio. The study’s lead authors are Waleed Alkakhan, a graduate dentist in periodontics, and Nico Farrar, a dental student at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Periodontal disease occurs when bacterial growth in the gums causes the immune system to mount an inflammatory response, contributing to symptoms such as swelling, bleeding and bone loss. Without treatment, it can lead to tooth loss. Nearly half of adults over the age of 30 have some form of periodontal disease, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Current treatments for advanced periodontal disease include antibiotics, deep cleaning of tooth surfaces and roots, and various surgical procedures. Researchers have sought new ways to calm gum disease through less invasive treatment strategies.

Some previous studies have shown that people taking statins tend to have fewer signs of periodontitis than people not taking statins. The new study is the first to trace the biochemical pathways through which statins appear to reduce periodontal inflammation.

“Recent periodontal literature has shown the beneficial effects of statins when used with traditional periodontal therapy,” Pandruvada said. “However, our study highlights a new approach in which statins specifically affect macrophages, which – through this mechanism – may help treat periodontal disease.”

Macrophages play an important role in helping the body fight infections. However, they can also exacerbate inflammation depending on the form they take at different phases of the immune response. The researchers grew macrophages and gingival cells together for the study and exposed them to various conditions. They found that exposure to simvastatin, a common statin drug, suppressed the inflammatory response of macrophages.

As a next step, the researchers plan to study the effects of statins on periodontal disease in animal models, a step toward determining whether this strategy could be a safe and effective approach for future periodontal treatments.

The new findings build on the team’s original results, which were published last year in the magazine Cells.