Melatonin ameliorates periodontitis‐related inflammatory stress at cardiac left ventricular tissues in rats

Background The aim of this experimental rat study was to investigate the potential inflammatory effects of periodontitis on cardiac left ventricular tissue and the therapeutic activity of melatonin on these effects. Methods Twenty‐four male Sprague‐Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: control, experimental periodontitis (Ep), and Ep‐melatonin (Ep‐Mel). Experimental periodontitis was induced by placing and maintaining 3.0 silk ligatures at a peri marginal position on the left and right mandibular first molars for 5 weeks. Afterward, following the removal of ligatures, melatonin (10 mg/body weight) to Ep‐Mel group, and vehicle (saline) to Ep and control groups were administered intraperitoneally for 14 days. On the first day of the eighth week, mandibular and cardiac left ventricular tissue samples were obtained following the euthanasia of the rats in all groups. Alveolar bone loss measurements were made on histological and microcomputed tomographic slices. Cardiac tissue levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), matrix metalloproteinase‐9 (MMP‐9), and cardiac Troponin‐T (cTnT) were evaluated by appropriate biochemical methods. Results Measurements made on the histological and microcomputed tomographic slices showed that melatonin significantly limits the ligature‐induced periodontal tissue destruction (P