Mangiferin: A possible strategy for periodontal disease to therapy

Periodontitis is one of the most widespread infectious inflammatory diseases, characterized by chronic bacterial infection of the supporting structures of the teeth, leading to tooth loss in adults. Mangiferin, a naturally occurring glucosylxanthone, has recently gained great attention, owing to potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, immunomodulatory, and antitumor properties. These studies confirm that mangiferin, exert excellent antioxidant effect and act rapidly in the face of oxidative stress. Meanwhile, mangiferin could significantly inhibit the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Especially, treated with mangiferin, the alveolar bone loss of rats with experimental periodontitis has been remarkably reduced. Given these bioactivity exhibited for mangiferin, we hypothesized that mangiferin may play an efficient role in therapy of periodontitis, which may offer new therapeutic options for the management of patients with periodontitis. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.