Luteolin and fisetin inhibit the effects of lipopolysaccharide obtained from Porphyromonas gingivalis in human gingival fibroblasts.

Periodontitis is an inflammatory process of infectious origin that affects the gums and, in severe cases, destroys connective tissue, leading to loss of the dental organ. Gram-negative Porphyromonas gingivalis bacteria are recovered from patients with chronic periodontitis. The polysaccharide obtained from these bacteria induces the expression of interleukin (IL)-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor, and IL-6. Flavonoids are molecules that participate in the control of inflammatory processes. We studied the role of the flavonoids fisetin, luteolin, myricetin, and morin in inhibiting the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and AKT as well as their role in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) transcription. All four of these flavonoids were found to inhibit MAPK and AKT. Fisetin and luteolin blocked the activation of MAPK and AKT to levels below basal levels. All of these flavonoids also blocked LPS-mediated COX-2 expression.