FAPESP fellow awarded Hatton Prize

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Agência FAPESP* –By Mônica Pileggi
Agência FAPESP – Fluoxetine, a medicine used in the treatment of depression, could alleviate much more than an anxiety crisis. It could also modulate the activity of dendritic cells and consequently reduce bone loss caused by periodontal disease.
The study on the application of the antidepressant in odontology guaranteed Maranhão native Luciana Salles Branco de Almeida the Hatton Prize granted by the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) at its annual congress in San Diego, California.
“In vivo evaluation of the activity of fluoxetine and desipramine in host response in periodontal disease” was funded through a doctoral fellowship granted by FAPESP for research under the orientation of professors Pedro Rosalen of the Piracicaba School of Odontology at Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), where Almeida completed her doctorate; Gilson Franco of Universidade de Taubaté (Unitau); and Toshihisa Kawai (The Forsyth Institute, United States).
The study was chosen by the Brazilian Odontological Research Society to represent Brazil at the congress and to compete for the prize, granted for the first time to researcher at a Brazilian Institution.
According to Almeida, in the previous studies unrelated to odontology, fluoxetine had demonstrated anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating activity.
“Because the drug has relatively few side effects, is widely used in clinical practice and is considered safe, we decided to test the drug’s immunoinflammatory response to periodontal disease,” she told Agência FAPESP.
She observed that fluoxetine when tested in vitro modulated the presence of antigens on dendritic cells and the activation of T lymphocytes, important cells for immunological defense.
“In addition to the positive effects on inflammation, treatment with fluoxetine reduced bone loss in mice. In periodontal disease, bone loss – one of its main symptoms— is caused by the action of osteoblast, cells whose molecular activators are produced by T-lymphocytes. Fluoxetine showed an interesting capacity to modulate the response of the host in the periodontal disease,” affirms Almeida.
The researcher stressed fluoxetine’s potential affect on autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis for example. Her thesis won in the category of “Senior/Basic Science,” competing with 32 scientists from five continents in the final stage. Almeida underscores the importance of Kawai’s collaboration in the project as well as the support of the Brazilian Federal Agency for the Support and Evaluation of Higher Education (Capes) and the National Institute of Health (NIH).

<p><b>By Mônica Pileggi</b></p>
<p><b>Agência FAPESP</b> – Fluoxetine, a medicine used in the treatment of depression, could alleviate much more than an anxiety crisis. It could also modulate the activity of dendritic cells and consequently reduce bone loss caused by periodontal disease.</p>
<p>The study on the application of the antidepressant in odontology guaranteed Maranhão native Luciana Salles Branco de Almeida the Hatton Prize granted by the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) at its annual congress in San Diego, California.</p>
<p>“In vivo evaluation of the activity of fluoxetine and desipramine in host response in periodontal disease” was funded through a <b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.bv.fapesp.br/en/bolsas/109421/vivo-evaluation-activity-fluoxetine-desipramine">doctoral fellowship </a></b>granted by FAPESP for research under the orientation of professors Pedro Rosalen of the Piracicaba School of Odontology at Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), where Almeida completed her doctorate; Gilson Franco of Universidade de Taubaté (Unitau); and Toshihisa Kawai (The Forsyth Institute, United States).</p>
<p>The study was chosen by the Brazilian Odontological Research Society to represent Brazil at the congress and to compete for the prize, granted for the first time to researcher at a Brazilian Institution.</p>
<p>According to Almeida, in the previous studies unrelated to odontology, fluoxetine had demonstrated anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating activity.</p>
<p>“Because the drug has relatively few side effects, is widely used in clinical practice and is considered safe, we decided to test the drug’s immunoinflammatory response to periodontal disease,” she told <b>Agência FAPESP</b>.</p>
<p>She observed that fluoxetine when tested <i>in vitro</i> modulated the presence of antigens on dendritic cells and the activation of T lymphocytes, important cells for immunological defense.</p>
<p>“In addition to the positive effects on inflammation, treatment with fluoxetine reduced bone loss in mice. In periodontal disease, bone loss – one of its main symptoms— is caused by the action of osteoblast, cells whose molecular activators are produced by T-lymphocytes. Fluoxetine showed an interesting capacity to modulate the response of the host in the periodontal disease,” affirms Almeida.</p>
<p>The researcher stressed fluoxetine’s potential affect on autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis for example. Her thesis won in the category of “Senior/Basic Science,” competing with 32 scientists from five continents in the final stage. Almeida underscores the importance of Kawai’s collaboration in the project as well as the support of the Brazilian Federal Agency for the Support and Evaluation of Higher Education (Capes) and the National Institute of Health (NIH). <br />
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