FIG 6.

Hyperuricemia (HU) aggravates ligature-induced periodontitis. Three days after ligature placement, C57BL/6N mice were administered PBS, uric acid (125 mg/kg), or uric acid plus allopurinol (5 mg/kg) once a day for 4 days. PBS and uric acid were administered intraperitoneally, and allopurinol was administered via gastric gavage (n = 4 for uric acid and uric acid plus allopurinol, n = 3 for PBS). (A) Serum uric acid level in each group. Data are expressed as the mean ± SEM. (B) Effects of hyperuricemia on alveolar bone resorption. Representative images obtained after soft tissue removal are shown. (C) The distance between the cementoenamel junction and alveolar bone crest and the exposed tooth root area of the mesial root of the maxillary second molar was measured under a stereoscopic microscope. (D) Relative gene expression levels in the gingiva of each experimental group. The relative quantity of mRNA was normalized to that of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA. *, P < 0.05; one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni’s correction for multiple comparisons.