The prospect and underlying mechanisms of Chinese medicine in treating periodontitis

Inflammation is a critical immune response triggered by cellular activities and inflammatory mediators following tissue damage. It plays a central role in the pathological progression of various diseases, including psychiatric disorders, cancer, and immunological conditions, making it an essential target for therapeutic intervention. Periodontitis, a prevalent oral inflammatory disease, is a leading cause of tooth loss and poses significant health challenges worldwide. Traditionally, inflammatory diseases such as periodontitis have been treated with systemic administration of synthetic chemicals. However, recent years have witnessed challenges including drug resistance and microbial dysbiosis associated with these treatments. In contrast, natural products derived from Chinese medicine offer numerous benefits, such as high safety profiles, minimal side effects, innovative pharmacological mechanisms, ease of extraction, and multiple targets, making them viable alternatives to conventional antibiotics for treating inflammatory conditions. Numerous effective anti-inflammatory natural products have been identified in TCM, including alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, lignans and other natural products which exhibit inhibitory effects on inflammation and are potential therapeutic agents. Several studies have confirmed the substantial anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of these compounds. We conducted a comprehensive review of literature on the anti-inflammatory effects of TCM-derived natural products from databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and CNKI, focusing on terms like "inflammation," "periodontitis," "pharmacology," and "traditional Chinese medicine." Our analysis systematically summarized the molecular pharmacology, chemical composition, and biological activities of these compounds in inflammatory responses, alongside their mechanisms of action. This research seeks to deepen understanding of the mechanisms and biological activities of herbal extracts in managing inflammatory diseases, potentially leading to the development of promising new anti-inflammatory drug candidates. Future applications could extend to the treatment of various inflammatory conditions, including periodontitis.