Prevotella intermedia induces prostaglandin E2 via multiple signaling pathways

Prostaglandin e2 (pge2) plays important roles in the bone resorption of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and periodontitis via specific prostaglandin receptors (i.e.,ep1-ep4). in this study,the authors examined whether prevotella intermedia regulates pge 2 production and ep expression in human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (hpdls); they also explored the potential signaling pathways involved in pge2 production. p. intermedia induced pge2 production and cyclooxygenase-2 (cox-2) expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner. indomethacin and ns-398 completely abrogated the p. intermedia-induced pge2 production without modulating cox-2 expression. specific inhibitors of extracellular signal-regulated kinase,c-jun n-terminal kinase,p38,phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase,and protein kinase c-but not c-amp and protein kinase a- significantly attenuated the p. intermedia-induced cox-2 and pge2 expression. p. intermedia reduced ep1 expression in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. the results indicate that the cox-2-dependent induction of pge2 by p. intermedia in hpdls is mediated by multiple signaling pathways. © 2011 international & american associations for dental research.