Effect of maternal true combined endodontic‐periodontal lesion on insulin and inflammatory pathway in adult offspring

Abstract

Background: Maternal periodontal disease (PED) and apical periodontitis (AP) are associated insulin resistance (IR), increased tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) levels, and alterations in insulin signaling (IS) in the gastrocnemius muscle (GM) of adult offspring. TNF-α stimulates I kappa B kinase (IKK) and c-Jun Nterminal protein kinase (JNK), resulting in IS attenuation. However, studies that investigated the maternal true endodontic-periodontal lesion (EPL) in offspring are scarce, and in this case, the impact could be even higher. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of EPL on the IR, IS, and inflammatory pathways on the offspring GM.Methods: Female Wistar rats were distributed into control, AP, PED, and EPL groups. After 30 days of oral inflammation induction, rats from all groups were allowed to mate with healthy rats. The body weight of the offspring was assessed from birth to 75 days of age. After 75 days, the following measurements were performed: glycemia, insulinemia, IR, TNF-α content, and IKKα/β, JNK, pp185 (Tyr), and IRS-1 (Ser) phosphorylation status in the GM. Results: Maternal PED and EPL were associated with low birth weights. All