Periodontitis promotes bacterial extracellular vesicle-induced neuroinflammation in the brain and trigeminal ganglion

Abstract

Gram-negative bacteria derived extracellular vesicles (EVs), also known as outer membrane vesicles, have attracted significant attention due to their pathogenic roles in various inflammatory diseases. We recently demonstrated that EVs secreted by the periodontopathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and that their extracellular RNA cargo can promote the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 and TNF-, in the brain. To gain more insight into the relationship between periodontal disease (PD) and neuroinflammatory diseases, we investigated the effect of Aa EVs in a mouse model of ligature-induced PD. When EVs were administered through intragingival injection or EV-soaked gel, proinflammatory cytokines were strongly induced in the brains of PD mice. The use of TLR (Toll-like receptor)-reporter cell lines and MyD88 knockout mice confirmed that the increased release of cytokines was triggered by Aa EVs via TLR4 and TLR8 signaling pathways and their downstream MyD88 pathway. Furthermore, the injection of EVs through the epidermis and gingiva resulted in the direct retrograde transfer of Aa EVs from axon terminals to the cell bodies of trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons and the subsequent activation of TG neurons. We also found that the Aa EVs changed the action potential of TG neurons. These findings suggest that EVs derived from periodontopathogens such as Aa might be involved in pathogenic pathways for neuroinflammatory diseases, neuropathic pain, and other systemic inflammatory symptoms as a comorbidity of periodontitis. Author summaryExtracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted from bacterial cells play a key role in microbe-host cell communication. Bacterial EVs (bEVs) may be closely linked to the pathogenesis underlying neuroinflammatory diseases. In the current experiments, bEVs caused the brain to release proinflammatory cytokines by activating the host TLR signaling pathway. This induction of neuroinflammation was significantly more prominent in the periodontitis disease model, implying a substantial link between periodontal and neuroinflammatory diseases through bEVs. We also show that bEVs are translocated to the neuronal cell body via retrograde axonal transport, where they directly activate neuronal proinflammatory signals (Fig 8). Our findings reveal that bEVs are a pathogenic pathway for neurological conditions potentially linked to periodontitis, such as Alzheimers disease and trigeminal neuropathic pain. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=159 SRC="FIGDIR/small/548287v1_fig8.gif" ALT="Figure 8"> View larger version (32K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@ff2928org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1e72688org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@92e002org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@b0e125_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG O_FLOATNOFig 8.C_FLOATNO Graphic summary. Model of bacterial EV (bEVs) function in the brain and trigeminal neuron. bEVs have the ability to enter host brain cells through the bloodstream and to enter the trigeminal ganglion neuronal cell body through retrograde axonal transport, where they directly trigger proinflammatory neuronal signals. Through the TLR4/TLR8-MyD88 and NF-{kappa}B signaling pathways, bEVs and their RNA cargo can stimulate the production of TNF- and IL-6 in the host cells. The production of neuroinflammation is noticeably more pronounced in the periodontitis disease model, suggesting a strong association between periodontal and neuroinflammatory diseases via bEVs. C_FIG