Periodontitis induces skeletal muscle atrophy by increasing circulating levels of activin A

However, its impact on skeletal muscle remains unclear. Here, we utilize a ligature-induced periodontitis (LIP) mouse model and show that periodontitis significantly reduces muscle and bone mass without affecting fat mass or food intake.

Interestingly, activin A, a well-documented inducer of muscle atrophy, was highly expressed in periodontitis-affected gingiva, surpassing its expression in the liver, a primary activin A-expressing organ. The activin A gene (Inhba) was highly expressed, particularly in gingival fibroblasts and epithelial cells, which undergo significant proliferation as periodontitis progresses, as well as in myeloid cells infiltrating inflamed periodontal tissues and in myeloid cell-derived osteoclasts.