Anti-inflammatory Properties of Triclosan for Control of Gingival Inflammation

Colgate^® Total^® is an over-the-counter FDA approved dentifrice with the ADA seal of acceptance, containing a unique Triclosan and copolymer system clinically proven to significantly enhance routine oral care. Objective: To study anti-inflammatory properties of Triclosan on the inflammatory mediator, Prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) in vitro. Method: Cell cultures of HEPM (ATCC: #1486) were used for testing the 50% inhibition (ID₅₀) of cytokine-induced PGE₂ production. Cells were grown at 37ºC to semi-confluent/confluent before transferring to 96-well plate for further growth. Cells grown in the 96-well plate were treated for ID₅₀ assay. Cell growth was conducted in a media containing 10ng/ml of Interleukin-1b (IL-1b) with/without Triclosan at different concentrations. After 24-hr, IL-1b induced PGE₂ production in the culture media was measured via an Enzyme-Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay (ELISA) at 405 nm. Ibuprofen, a known anti-inflammatory agent, was used as the positive control and media containing less than 1% Ethanol was a negative control. The same study was also performed with toothpaste extracts from Colgate^® Total^® dentifrice and a non-triclosan fluoride toothpaste. A 1:2 dilution of the toothpaste was prepared in de-ionized water. The toothpaste diluent was further mixed with a saliva solution (saliva:water = 1:1). The toothpaste-saliva solution was centrifuged to extract soluble active ingredient (ie. fluoride and/or triclosan). After centrifugation, an aliquot of the supernatant was serially diluted and incubated with HEPM cells as described above and tested for ID₅₀ with ELISA. Results: The ID₅₀ values for inhibition of PGE₂ were 3.0 ug/ml and 0.9 ug/ml for Triclosan and Ibuprofen respectively. Colgate^® Total^® extract showed an ID₅₀ value of 4.3 ug/ml, whereas the non-triclosan fluoride toothpaste showed no inhibition on PGE₂ production. Conclusions: The in vitro data suggests that Triclosan's anti-inflammatory property, in conjunction with its broad-spectrum antibacterial function, contributes to the anti-gingival inflammation and anti-dental plaque clinical benefit of Colgate^® Total^®.