Abstract
Periodontitis is one of the most prevalent chronic inflammatory diseases that may eventually lead to the loss of teeth. Macrophage polarization plays an important role in the development of periodontitis, and several naturally occurring food compounds have recently been reported to regulate macrophage polarization. In this study, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of sulforaphene (SFE) in macrophage polarization and its impact on periodontitis. Through in vitro and in vivo experiments, our study demonstrated that SFE effectively inhibits M1 polarization while promoting M2 polarization, ultimately leading to the suppression of periodontitis. Transcriptome sequencing showed that SFE significantly upregulated the expression of dendritic cell immunoreceptor (DCIR, also known as CLEC4A2). We further validated the crucial role of DCIR in macrophage polarization through knockdown and overexpression experiments and demonstrated that SFE regulates macrophage polarization by upregulating DCIR expression. In summary, the results of this study suggest that SFE can regulate macrophage polarization and inhibit periodontitis. Moreover, this research identified DCIR (dendritic cell immunoreceptor) as a potential novel target for regulating macrophage polarization. These findings provide new insights into the treatment of periodontitis and other immune-related diseases.