Search Results (2)

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), also known as coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), is a pandemic disease that has been declared as modern history’s gravest health emergency worldwide. Until now, no precise treatment modality has been developed. The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, a host cell receptor, has been found to play a crucial role in virus cell entry; therefore, ACE2 blockers can be a potential target for anti-viral intervention. In this study, we evaluated the ACE2 inhibitory effects of 10 essential oils. Among them, geranium and lemon oils displayed significant ACE2 inhibitory effects in epithelial cells. In addition, immunoblotting and qPCR analysis also confirmed that geranium and lemon oils possess potent ACE2 inhibitory effects. Furthermore, the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis displayed 22 compounds in geranium oil and 9 compounds in lemon oil. Citronellol, geraniol, and neryl acetate were the major compounds of geranium oil and limonene that represented major compound of lemon oil. Next, we found that treatment with citronellol and limonene significantly downregulated ACE2 expression in epithelial cells. The results suggest that geranium and lemon essential oils and their derivative compounds are valuable natural anti-viral agents that may contribute to the prevention of the invasion of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 into the human body. Full article

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease, wherein endogenous antioxidants help to balance the inflammatory status. Oral health behaviors are related to the periodontal disease status. The aim of this study was to explore the associations between oral health behaviors and endogenous antioxidants in periodontitis patients. In total, 225 subjects diagnosed with periodontitis were enrolled in the study. Information obtained from the initial interview included socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and oral health-related behaviors. The clinical periodontal parameters evaluated included bleeding on probing (BOP), the plaque index (PI), and probing depth (PD). Stimulated saliva was collected before periodontal therapy to determine five endogenous antioxidants (copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD), manganese SOD (MnSOD), thioredoxin 1 (Trx1), peroxiredoxin 2 (Prx2), and catalase (CAT)). When these five factors were adjusted for in patients whose last previous dental visit was >1 year, the patients’ PI, BOP, and PD showed significant decreases because of an elevation in the Cu/Zn SOD level. Associations of endogenous antioxidants with levels of clinical periodontal parameters were much higher in subjects whose last previous dental visit was >1 year, compared to subjects whose last previous dental visit was <1 year. This study provides a better understanding of dental visit patterns and the salivary endogenous antioxidants that may underlie the symptomatic development of preclinical periodontitis. Full article