Effects of honey administration on transforming growth factor beta-1 levels during orthodontic tooth movement in young and older rats

Abstract

Introduction: Dentofacial harmony can be improved with orthodontic treatment. As people age, there is an increasing need for orthodontic treatment; this is true for both adults and children. This study aimed to determine how the activity of transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) differs between young and old rats and what happens to the TGF-β1 level following honey intake. Materials and Methods: Twelve Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 12) were randomly divided into four groups: young rats without honey administration, young rats with honey administration (YH), old rats without honey administration, and old rats with honey administration (OH). To move the teeth distally, orthodontic brackets are inserted on the maxillary incisors with an open coil spring positioned between the teeth. The honey (YH and OH) groups received honey at a dose of 0.4 mL/200 g body weight daily for 14 days, and gingival crevicular fluid samples were collected on days 0, 1, 7, and 14 for all groups. Enzyme-linked immunoassay was used to assess TGF-β1 levels. Results: The results of a three-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s post-hoc tests revealed that the TGF-β1 levels in young rats on days 0, 1, 3, 7, and 14 were noticeably higher than those in older rats (P < 0.05). Young and old rats that received honey had considerably greater TGF-β1 levels than the control rats (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The results indicate that the TGF-β1 levels in young rats were much greater than those in older rats, and honey could increase the TGF-β1 levels in old rats during active orthodontic tooth movement.