Methods: HPDL cells were treated with various doses of capsaicin, 0-50 µM, for 24 hours in a serum-free condition and the toxicity of capsaicin was determined using MTT assay. Cells were treated with non-toxic dose of capsaicin for 24 hours and the expressions of MMP were analyzed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The change in MMP expression was confirmed by Western analysis. The mechanism of activation through vanilloid receptor (VR1) was investigated by means of inhibitor.
Results: No tocixicity was observed in all doses of the capsaicin used. Addition of 50 µM of capsaicin significantly increased the expression of membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT-1 MMP) at both mRNA and protein levels. Moreover, the inductive effect of capsaicin could be inhibited by vanilloid receptor inhibitor.
Conclusion: Capsaicin up-regulates the expression of MT-1 MMP in periodontal ligament cells through vanilloid receptor (VR1). This result suggests that capsaicin may play a role involved in periodontal tissue remodeling.
This work is supported by Research fund, Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University.