Written by Chrystal Moulton, Science Writer. Researchers observed as significant decrease in PGE2, IL-1beta, MMP-8, and MMP-9 at week 8 compared to baseline across both data sets (P<0.0001).
Dental health is essential to overall health as previous research demonstrates significant associations between chronic systemic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases to periodontal disease1,2. Although routine cleaning and proper dental hygiene are essential, for individuals with periodontitis, additional therapies are being investigated to treat and prevent inflammation and infection associated with this disease. Propolis and mangosteen contain bioactive compounds that could be beneficial to management of periodontal disease3,4. Previous research highlighted a possible synergistic effect of both components on osteogenic activity5,6. In this study, researchers investigated the safety and efficacy of a mangosteen and propolis extract on gum health in individuals with gingivitis and periodontitis7.
This study was a double-blind, placebo controlled trial in which participants were randomly assigned placebo capsules or test capsules consisting of a 2:68 ratio of mangosteen to propolis [by weight]. Participants were required to take 2 capsules daily for 8 weeks. Eligible subjects were adults 20-70 years old with 20 natural teeth, mild gingivitis, at least one tooth with a periodontal pocket depth of 3mm and a gingival index of 2 points or more, and 10% or more bleeding on probing sites. Clinical measurements included bleeding on probing, gingival index, gingival recession, clinical attachment level, plaque index, and periodontal pocket depth. These parameters were measured at screening/baseline [after randomization], and weeks 4 and 8 of the trial. Gingival crevicular fluid was collected at screening/baseline, week 4, and week 8. Gingival crevicular fluid was used to test biomarkers of inflammation specifically IL-1beta, PGE2, MMP-8, and MMP-9. Additional testing was done to determine the safety of the treatment at screening and week 8. Data was collected to assess the efficacy of the treatment on a per protocol basis which only included participants who completed the trial. Full analysis included all participants whether or not they completed the trial based on an intent-to-treat protocol.
One-hundred and four participants were randomized to either the test or placebo and 94 participants completed the trial. For statistical purposes, 97 participants were designated as the full analysis set and 94 as the per protocol set. At baseline, both clinical parameters and demographics were similar between the placebo and treatment groups with no statistical significance. No significant change was observed in neither the full analysis nor per protocol analysis for changes in clinical measurements (bleeding on probing, gingival index, gingival recession, clinical attachment level, plaque index, and periodontal pocket depth) within or between the placebo and test groups. Inflammatory biomarkers, however, were significantly different from baseline to weeks 4 and 8 in both data sets. Researchers observed as significant decrease in PGE2, IL-1beta, MMP-8, and MMP-9 at week 8 in the treatment group compared to baseline and placebo across both data sets (P<0.0001). No significant or serious adverse effects were recorded during the study.
Results from this trial showed that a 2:68 [by weight] mangosteen to propolis extract could significantly reduce specific inflammatory markers in the gingival crevicular fluid. This extract, however, did not change clinical measurements such as bleeding on probing, gingival index, gingival recession, clinical attachment level, plaque index, and periodontal pocket depth. Additional research will be needed to assess the effects of mangosteen and propolis on gum health.
Source: Jung, Jae-Suk, Geum-Hee Choi, Heelim Lee, Youngkyung Ko, and Suk Ji. “The Clinical Effect of a Propolis and Mangosteen Extract Complex in Subjects with Gingivitis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.” Nutrients 16, no. 17 (2024): 3000.
© 2024 by the authors.Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
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Posted January 16, 2025.
Chrystal Moulton BA, PMP, is a 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology with a focus on premedical studies and is a licensed project manager. She currently resides in Indianapolis, IN.
References:
- Beck JD, Offenbacher S. Systemic effects of periodontitis: epidemiology of periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease. J Periodontol. Nov 2005;76(11 Suppl):2089-100. doi:10.1902/jop.2005.76.11-S.2089
- Mealey BL. Periodontal disease and diabetes. A two-way street. Journal of the American Dental Association (1939). Oct 2006;137 Suppl:26s-31s. doi:10.14219/jada.archive.2006.0404
- Campos JF, Dos Santos UP, da Rocha Pdos S, et al. Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Cytotoxic Activities of Propolis from the Stingless Bee Tetragonisca fiebrigi (Jataí). Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:296186. doi:10.1155/2015/296186
- Lee HN, Jang HY, Kim HJ, et al. Antitumor and apoptosis-inducing effects of α-mangostin extracted from the pericarp of the mangosteen fruit (Garcinia mangostana L.)in YD-15 tongue mucoepidermoid carcinoma cells. Int J Mol Med. Apr 2016;37(4):939-48. doi:10.3892/ijmm.2016.2517
- Sung S-J, Kang K-M, Lee K-H, et al. Effect of Garcinia mangostana L. and propolis extracts on the inhibition of inflammation and alveolar bone loss in ligature-induced periodontitis in rats. International Journal of Oral Biology. 2019;44(2):55-61.
- Lee K-H, Yoo S-Y, Kook J-K, et al. Inhibitory effect of mangosteen peel and propolis ethanol extracts on alveolar bone loss against increased treatment amount of Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide in rat. Korean Journal of Dental Materials. 2021:71-78.
- Jung JS, Choi GH, Lee H, Ko Y, Ji S. The Clinical Effect of a Propolis and Mangosteen Extract Complex in Subjects with Gingivitis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Nutrients. Sep 5 2024;16(17)doi:10.3390/nu16173000
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