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Hindi Review Article
Vitamin D Nuclear Receptor and Periodontal Disease: A Review
Hilde D Hendrik1* and Erich J Raubenheimer21MSc, Oral Biology, School of Oral health Sciences, University of Limpopo, Pretoria, South Africa
2DSc, Oral Pathology, School of Oral Health Sciences, University of Limpopo, Pretoria, South Africa
- Corresponding Author:
- H.D Hendrik, BDS, MSc Oral Biology
Box D 24, School of Oral Health Sciences
Medunsa Campus, University of Limpopo, 0204, South Africa
Tel: +27125214882
Fax: +27125214274
E-mail: Hilde.hendrik@ul.ac.za
Received August 18, 2014; Accepted October 25, 2014; Published October 30, 2014
Citation: Hendrik HD, Raubenheimer EJ (2014) Vitamin D Nuclear Receptor and Periodontal Disease: A Review. J Interdiscipl Med Dent Sci 3:157. doi: 10.4172/2376-032X.1000157
Copyright: © 2014 Hendrik HD, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
The immune system has acquired an intricate mechanism for recognizing and eliminating pathogens. Situated in the nucleus of numerous cells, Vitamin D nuclear receptor represents an important component of this mechanism. Correspondingly pathogens have also acquired complex mechanisms of evading and manipulating the host immune response to their benefit, thereby increasing their ability to cause disease. One such pathogen is Porphyromonas gingivalis which is able to exploit several components of the innate and adaptive immune system and persist in macrophages. This manuscript reviews current concepts regarding immune responses to periodontal pathogens and provides a link between Vitamin D nuclear receptor and P.gingivalis. The authors offer a rational for further investigations of Vitamin D nuclear receptor agonists as potential therapeutic agents for resolution of inflammation in periodontal disease coupled with enhanced intracellular clearance of bacteria.
