Development of therapeutic agent for periodontal disease, identification of treatment process and securing of source technology

-Commercialization of peptide that overcomes the limitations of periodontitis treatment-

Severe periodontitis is one of the most prevalent chronic inflammatory diseases worldwide and is associated with the pathogenesis of a number of other systemic diseases; however, therapeutic agents for periodontitis have not yet been developed. Korean researchers at Seoul National University report on a potent therapeutic agent effective for the prevention and treatment of periodontitis and its mechanism of action. The study appears in the Journal of Clinical Periodontolgy in May 30, 2022 (Online ahead of print). 

Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disease induced by complex interactions between the host immune system and plaque microorganisms. Researchers led by Prof. Byung-Moo Min identified a bioactive peptide (VnP-16) that promotes osteoblast differentiation and activity and concomitantly restrains osteoclast differentiation and resorptive function. The researchers found that VnP-16 promotes cell behaviour and osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament cells and exerts anti-inflammatory effects in gingival fibroblasts. Concomitantly, VnP-16 modulates the host immune response. Furthermore, they found that the peptide in rodents prevents and reverses alveolar bone loss induced by experimental periodontitis. These results suggest that VnP-16 acts as a potent therapeutic agent for preventing and treating periodontitis by regulating bone remodeling and immune and inflammatory responses.

Prof. Min said that "We showed that VnP-16 promotes bone formation, inhibits bone resorption, and further modulates inflammatory and immune responses". “The substance could be an attractive therapeutic agent for preventing and treating periodontitis by promoting bone anabolism and blocking bone catabolism, as well as regulating immune and inflammatory responses. We also expect that our findings will contribute to drug development for the treatment of not only periodontal disease, but also osteoporosis, spondyloarthritis, and other osteolytic bone diseases in the future“, Prof. Min said. 

A proposed pathway depicting how VnP-16 restores periodontitis-induced alveolar bone loss.

[Reference] Lee J. et al., (2022) “A vitronectin-derived peptide prevents and restores alveolar bone loss by modulating bone remodeling and expression of RANKL and IL-17A” Journal of Clinical Periodontolgy, doi: 10.1111/jcpe.13671

[Main Author] Byung-Moo Min (Seoul National University)

* Contact email : Professor Byung-Moo Min (bmmin@snu.ac.kr)