MEKANISME MOLEKULER PERBAIKAN KERUSAKAN EPITEL GINGIVA YANG TERPAPAR LPS PORPHYROMONAS GINGIVALIS SETELAH PEMBERIAN TOPIKAL EKSTRAK NIGELLA SATIVA ( Penelitian Pada Hewan Coba Tikus Wistar )

Background and Objectives: Periodontal disease does not typically cause pain that the sufferers are aware of, and is commonly found in advanced stage. P. gingivalis bacteria are the main causes of this disease. The main virulence factors of P. gingivalis are Lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Various attempts have been made to treat periodontal disease by the administration of local or systemic antibiotics, periodontal curettage and flap surgery, but the results are still unsatisfactory. Therefore, it is necessary to do early prevention of the onset; one of the effective and efficient efforts is to use medical plants. The chosen natural material is black cumin (Nigella Sativa). For this reason, the writer aims to investigate the effects of Nigella sativa extract against the inflammation reaction and beta defensin-2 (BD-2) mechanism in the gingival epithelium which is exposed to P. gingivalis LPS