Periodontal disease has a strong correlation with the aging of an individual. As a person’s biological age progresses, so does risk of gum inflammation, periodontal bone loss, and transition of the oral bacteria from good to bad. Unfortunatley, other than maintaining good oral hygiene, there is not much else that can be done for this progressive disease.
Here comes an unusual ally. For many years, rapamycin has been a drug used to prevent organ rejection in renal transplant patients. Incidental observations and studies have shown that it might also have some life-extending effects. Known as an mTOR inhibitor, rapamycin has shown to extend life in mice, worms, flies, rodents and dogs, by almost three times. In 2006, a study suggested that rapamycin can be used to combat “all age-related human diseases,” and it was dubbed the “anti-aging drug.”
Mice aren’t that different from humans. As mice age, they also experience more gingival inflammation, periodontal bone loss and changes in oral bacteria. So treating mice with rapamycin to see any changes in periodontal health seemed logical.
During an 8-week trial, mice that were treated with rapamycin showed less bone loss and actually some bone growth, compared to mice treated with a placebo. Genetic sequencing of the oral bacteria in the rapamycin treated mice also showed a shift from harmful bacteria to oral bacteria found in healthy young mice.
However, nothing comes without its side effects. The current high chronic doses of rapamycin that are used for organ transplant patients hold an increased risk of developing general infections and developing diabetes. Researchers are hopeful that with lower “micro-doses” we can do away with the bad and only keep the good.