Antioxidant Ascorbic Acid Modulates NLRP3 Inflammasome in LPS-G Treated Oral Stem Cells through NFκB/Caspase-1/IL-1β Pathway

Human gingival mesenchymal stem cells (hGMSCs) and endothelial committed hGMSCs (e-hGMSCs) have considerable potential to serve as an in vitro model to replicate the inflammation sustained by Porphyromonas gingivalis in periodontal and cardiovascular diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of ascorbic acid (AA) on the inflammatory reverting action of lipopolysaccharide (LPS-G) on the cell metabolic activity, inflammation pathway and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in hGMSCs and e-hGMSCs. Cells were treated with LPS-G (5 μg mL−1) or AA (50 μg mL−1) and analyzed by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT) assay, immunofluorescence and Western blot methods. The rate of cell metabolic activity was decreased significantly in LPS-G-treated groups, while groups co-treated with LPS-G and AA showed a logarithmic cell metabolic activity rate similar to untreated cells. AA treatment attenuated the inflammatory effect of LPS-G by reducing the expression of TLR4/MyD88/NFκB/NLRP3/Caspase-1/IL-1β, as demonstrated by Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence acquisition. LPS-G-induced cells displayed an increase in ROS production, while AA co-treated cells showed a protective effect. In summary, our work suggests that AA attenuated LPS-G-mediated inflammation and ROS generation in hGMSCs and e-hGMSCs via suppressing the NFκB/Caspase-1/IL-1β pathway. These findings indicate that AA may be considered as a potential factor involved in the modulation of the inflammatory pathway triggered by LPS-G in an vitro cellular model.