Epidemiologic studies have implicated periodontitis as a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. However, no prospective studies investigating this potential relationship have been carried out. Age- and sex-matched New Zealand White rabbits were maintained on a diet consisting of 0.5% fat for 13 weeks to induce the accumulation of lipid deposits in the aorta as a model for atherogenesis. One-half of the animals received silk ligatures around their mandibular premolars followed by an application of a periodontal pathogen, Porphyromonas gingivalis, to induce periodontitis. Animals were sacrificed after 14 weeks. Periodontal disease severity was quantified radiographically, histologically, and by direct visualization of bone loss on defleshed skulls. Lipid deposition was evaluated by computer-assisted morphometry in the aortas en face after lipid deposits were stained with Sudan IV. Animals with experimentally induced periodontitis had more extensive accumulations of lipids in the aorta than did nonperiodontitis animals (P < 0.05), and there was a positive correlation between the severity of periodontal disease and the extent of lipid deposition (r2 = 0.9501). The results provide direct evidence that periodontitis may be a risk factor and may contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The data support the concept that infections at remote locations can modulate atherosclerotic events distantly.
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机译：流行病学研究表明牙周炎是心血管疾病发展的危险因素。但是，尚未进行调查这种潜在关系的前瞻性研究。年龄和性别相匹配的新西兰白兔在由0.5％脂肪组成的饮食中维持13周，以诱导主动脉脂质沉积的积累，作为动脉粥样硬化的模型。一半的动物在其下颌前磨牙周围接受丝线结扎，然后应用牙周病原体 Porphyromonas gingivalis 诱发牙周炎。 14周后处死动物。通过放射照相，组织学和通过对裸露的颅骨上骨质流失的直接可视化来定量牙周疾病的严重程度。用苏丹IV对脂质沉积物染色后，通过计算机辅助形态测定法评估主动脉表面的脂质沉积。与非牙周炎动物相比，实验诱发的牙周炎动物在主动脉中脂质的积累更为广泛（ P <0.05），并且牙周疾病的严重程度与脂质沉积程度之间存在正相关（ r 2 = 0.9501）。结果提供了直接的证据，表明牙周炎可能是一个危险因素，可能有助于动脉粥样硬化的发病。数据支持这样的概念，即远程感染可远距离调节动脉粥样硬化事件。
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