JIIANG-HUEI JENGLan W.-H.Hahn L.-J.Hsieh C.-C.YEN-PING KUO2021-07-052021-07-0519960904-2512https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0030221781&doi=10.1111%2fj.1600-0714.1996.tb00281.x&partnerID=40&md5=f4106a4c4d9f935c27e6c3dc3ff802d1https://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/569237Because betel quid (BQ) chewing has been linked to a higher prevalence of periodontal diseases, the pathobiological effects of arecoline, a main alkaloid found in areca nut, were investigated in cultured human gingival fibroblasts. At concentrations higher than 0.4 mM, arecoline inhibits cell attachment, cell spreading and cell migration in a dose-dependent manner. These inhibitory effects were associated with intracellular depletion of glutathione (GSH). At concentrations of 0.4 mM and 1 mM, arecoline depleted about 26% and 45% of GSH after 2 h incubation. Exposure of cells to arecoline at concentrations lower than 0.4 mM for 2 h showed no significant decrease in either cell viability or intracellular GSH. However, incubation of cells for 24 h in 1 mM arecoline decreased the cell numbers to only 35% of those in the untreated control. Arecoline also decreased cell growth and collagen synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. Because of repeated and long-term exposure to arecoline, BQ chewers could be more susceptible to periodontal damage and less responsive to new attachment procedures.[SDGs]SDG3journal article10.1111/j.1600-0714.1996.tb00281.x88900512-s2.0-0030221781