Apelin Counteracts the Effects of Fusobacterium nucleatum on the Migration of Periodontal Ligament Cells In Vitro

To better understand the link between periodontitis and metabolic diseases, our in vitro study aimed to assess the influence of the adipokine apelin and/or the periodontal pathogen <i>Fusobacterium nucleatum</i> on periodontal cells. Periodontal ligament (PDL) cells were exposed to <i>F. nucleatum</i> in the presence and absence of apelin. Scratch assays were used to analyze the in vitro wound healing and velocity of cell migration. To investigate if <i>F. nucleatum</i> and/or apelin have a regulatory effect on cell proliferation and apoptosis, proliferation and viability assays were performed as well as an analysis of caspase 9 expression. Both the in vitro wound closure and the cell migration rate were significantly reduced by <i>F. nucleatum.</i> Simultaneous incubation with apelin counteracted the adverse effects of <i>F. nucleatum</i>. The proliferation assay demonstrated that neither apelin nor <i>F. nucleatum</i> significantly affected PDL cell proliferation. Furthermore, neither apelin nor <i>F. nucleatum</i> was cytotoxic or affected apoptosis after 48 h. Apelin could play a modulatory role in the pathogenesis of periodontitis, as it was able to compensate for the inhibitory effects of the periodontal pathogen <i>F. nucleatum</i> on PDL cell migration in vitro.