Porphyromonas gingivalis infection accelerates intimal thickening in iliac arteries in a balloon-injured rabbit model.

Background: Current epidemiologic data suggest that a localized infection (periodontitis) can disseminate into the distant tissues, and subgingival bacteria can migrate in the bloodstream, thereby contributing to independent systemic disease processes. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the effect of repeated systemic inoculations with Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) on intimal hyperplasia in iliac arteries in a rabbit model of balloon injury.

Methods: One week after single balloon injury to the iliac artery, 30 male New Zealand rabbits were randomly assigned to intravenous inoculation with 100 microl live Pg (10(7) colony-forming units; n = 15) or vehicle (n = 15) once weekly for 4, 8, or 12 consecutive weeks. Arteries were fixed by perfusion and removed for analysis of neointimal lesion formation. We measured intimal and medial lesion areas in iliac artery cross-sections as well as the intimal/medial ratio (I/M). We also analyzed Pg 16S ribosomal DNA amplification with polymerase chain reaction, systemic proinflammatory mediators with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and immunolocalization of macrophages in the balloon-injured arteries.

Results: At 12 weeks, iliac intimal hyperplasia was accelerated, and I/M was significantly increased in Pg-inoculated animals (I/M 3.961 +/- 0.536 in the Pg group versus 3.585 +/- 0.353 in the control animals; P <0.01). Pg-inoculated animals also had significant increases in macrophage infiltration at 12 weeks, C-reactive protein levels at all time points, and interleukin-6 levels at 12 weeks. Moreover, Pg ribosomal DNA was found in the injured arteries of Pg-inoculated animals, but only after 12 weeks.

Conclusion: Long-term systemic challenge with Pg, an oral pathogen, may accelerate intimal hyperplasia in balloon-injured iliac arteries.