Fig. 4. Evaluation of vascular endothelial and smooth muscle function in 10-week-old Ws, Ws + Pg, GKs and GKs + Pg. Alterations in Peak, T1/2 and Mass of gingival reactive hyperemia before (open columns) and after (solid columns) treatment with ACh (A) and NTG (B). Data are presented as mean ± SEM. (n = 5 in each group). *p<0.05 vs pretreatment with ACh or NTG. due to increased oxidative stress in the microcirculation of the oral and maxillofacial region of the rodent model. Conflict of Interest Acknowlegments No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed. Supported by grants from High-Tech Research Center Project of Kanagawa Dental College, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan and Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture (19592371). We dedicate this article to the memory of Dr. Yusuke Takahashi, References our colleague and friend, who died in May, 2009. Abbreviations C-PROXYL ESR GBF GKs LDF NO Pg ROS Ws 3-carbamoyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidin-1-yloxy electron spin resonance gingival blood flow Goto-Kakizaki rats laser Doppler flowmetry nitric oxide Porphyromonas gingivalis reactive oxygen species Wistar rats 1 Allen EM, Matthews JB, O’Connor R, O’Halloran D, Chapple IL. Periodontitis and type 2 diabetes: is oxidative stress the mechanistic link? Scott Med J 2009; 54: 41–47. 2 Cooper D, Stokes KY, Tailor A, Granger DN. Oxidative stress promotes blood cell-endothelial cell interactions in the microcirculation. Cardiovasc Toxicol 2002; 2: 165–180. 3 Steinberg HO, Chaker H, Leaming R, Johnson A, Brechtel G, Baron AD. Obesity/insulin resistance is associated with endothelial dysfunction. Implica- tions for the syndrome of insulin resistance. J Clin Invest 1996; 97: 2601– 2610. 4 Rask-Madsen C, King GL. Mechanisms of disease: endothelial dysfunction in insulin resistance and diabetes. Nat Clin Pract Endocrinol Metab 2007; 3: 46–56. 5 Kobayashi K, Yoshino F, Takahashi SS, et al. Direct assessments of the antioxidant effects of propofol medium chain triglyceride/long chain triglyceride on the brain of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats 112 doi: 10.3164/jcbn.11-103 ©2012 JCBN