Figure 4.

Influence of P. gingivalis infection on circulating BCAA levels and liver function. Six-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were infected with 1×10⁹ P. gingivalis in 100 μL of PBS containing 2% CMC for 8 weeks. The NC and HFD groups were mock-treated with PBS containing 2% CMC. Four weeks after infection, the mice were euthanized, and liver and serum samples were harvested. (A) Colonization of P. gingivalis WT, Δlivh, and Δlivk detected via qPCR in the liver tissues of HFD-fed mice. Sera samples from mice were assayed for BCAA and FBG levels, and for the determination of selected liver-specific biochemistries. (B) Glucose level, (C) ALT level, (D) AST level, (E) AST/ALT ratio, and (F) BCAA level. CMC, carboxymethyl cellulose; BCAA, branched-chain amino acid; NC, normal chow, HFD, high-fat diet. All data represent the mean ± SD for five mice per group. ^**P ≤ 0.01; ^***P ≤ 0.001; ^****P ≤ 0.0001.