Diacerein: A potential therapeutic drug for the management of experimental periodontitis in rats

INTRODUCTION: Knowledge about the pathogenic process in the progression of periodontal disease indicates that the central cause of periodontal disease is the loss of a healthy balance between microbial virulence factors and the host’s inflammatory response. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential effectiveness of diacerein as an anti-inflammatory drug in the management of experimental periodontitis in rats. METHODS: The study included 60 albino rats that were divided into two groups. Periodontitis was induced in both groups. The drug group received systemic administration of diacerein, and the control group received a placebo. IL-1ß was measured two weeks after the induction of periodontitis and before the administration of the drug (baseline measurement), and it was measured again at the end of two and end of four weeks after scaling and root planning and diacerein administration. RESULTS: The results indicated that there was a significant decrease in IL-1ß level in both groups. For the control group, there were significant decreases of the IL-1ß values from the baseline to two weeks and also from the baseline to four weeks, with p-values of 0.0001 for both comparisons. The same results were obtained for the drug group. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that it is likely that diacerein may play a therapeutic role as a potent anti-inflammatory drug in the management of periodontitis.