Induction of immune response and prevention of alveolar bone loss with recombinant Porphyromonas gingivalis peptidylarginine deiminase

Objective Treatments for periodontitis are not absolutely perfect, and a vaccine against Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) could become a valuable adjunct therapy for periodontitis. Design In this study, a vaccine of peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD) from P. gingivalis was evaluated in P. gingivalis-induced murine lesion and periodontitis models. The prevention of alveolar bone loss analysis determined by micro-computed X-ray tomography (micro-CT), and histological assays. Furthermore, the induction of immune response of mouse anti-PAD done with ELISA and Western Blot analysis. Results Compared with animal immunization with incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA) alone, PAD group significantly inhibited (P < 0.05) bone resorption. ELISA and Western Blot showed that PAD induced response involving immunoglobulin G1 (Ig G1) predominantly. Conclusions These results suggest that PAD could be a candidate antigen for a vaccine against P. gingivalis infection.