Robust Ligature-Induced Model of Murine Periodontitis for the Evaluation of Oral Neutrophils

The protocol described here furnishes investigators with a method to study oral neutrophils within a ligature-induced animal model of periodontal disease in an analogous manner to human participants. The main advantage of this technique is highlighted by the increased volume of inflamed gingival tissues available for subsequent analysis, which reduces animal usage. Our ability to retrieve the biofilm-coated ligatures from around the teeth allows for the simulation of effective treatment of a localized periodontal disease.

The use of this model could be applied in the study of the systemic effects of periodontitis in an animal model, due to the increased areas of inflamed gingival tissues. Familiarization with the use of microsurgical instruments and dissection microscopes, as well as tying surgeon's knots prior to handling live animal subjects, is heavily advised. Visual demonstration of this technique is critical in reducing the length of the learning curve required to achieve proficient ligature placement.