Oral administration of Porphyromonas gingivalis to mice with diet-induced obesity impairs cognitive function associated with microglial activation in the brain

Objective: Both periodontal disease and obesity are risk factors for dementia, but their links to 1brain function remain unclear. In this study, we examined the effects of oral infection with a periodontal pathogen on cognitive function in a mouse model of obesity, focusing on the roles of microglia.

Methods: To create a mouse model of diet-induced obesity and periodontitis, male C57BL/6 J mice were first fed a high-fat diet containing 60% lipid calories for 18 weeks, beginning at 12 weeks of age, to achieve diet-induced obesity. Then, Porphyromonas gingivalis administration in the oral cavity twice weekly for 6 weeks was performed to induce periodontitis in obese mice.

Results: Obese mice orally exposed to P. gingivalis showed cognitive impairment in the novel object recognition test. Increased expression levels of inflammatory cytokines (e.g. interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α) were observed in the hippocampus of P. gingivalis-treated obese mice. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that microglia cell body size was increased in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of P. gingivalis-treated obese mice, indicating microglial activation. Furthermore, depletion of microglia by PLX3397, a colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor inhibitor, ameliorated cognitive dysfunction.

Conclusion: These results suggest that microglia mediate periodontal infection-induced cognitive dysfunction in obesity.