The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the prophylactic and therapeutic supplementation with omega 3
polyunsaturated fatty acids (w-3 PUFAs) on the
lipid profile and periapical
bone resorption in rats with
apical periodontitis. Forty male rats were divided into groups: control rats (C), rats treated with w-3 PUFAs (C+O), rats with pulp exposure-induced
apical periodontitis (AP), and rats with AP treated with w-3 PUFAs (AP+O). The administration of w-3 PUFAs was carried out orally once a day for 15 days before pulp exposure and, subsequently, for an additional 30 days after pulp exposure. AP was induced by exposing pulpal tissues to the oral environment. The samples were collected after 30 days.
Triglycerides and
cholesterol levels were enzymatically measured using the Trinder method. The jaws were collected and submitted for histological analysis. Two-way analysis of variance and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for statistical analysis, and the significance was set at p<0.05. The
triglyceride levels of the AP group were significantly higher than those of the C, C+O and AP+O groups (p<0.05). However, the difference in the
cholesterol levels among the groups was not significant (p>0.05). Rats with AP showed larger areas of
bone resorption as well as higher inflammatory intensity compared with rats with AP supplemented with w-3 PUFAs. It may be concluded that the presence of multiple AP foci increased the
triglyceride levels. In addition, omega 3 supplementation might reduce these levels in rats with AP, as well as the
bone resorption areas of periapical tissues.