Two Cheers for Crohn's Disease and Periodontitis: Beta-Defensin-2 as an Actionable Target to Intervene on Two Clinically Distinct Diseases.

ABSTRACT

Recent advances in multi-omics approaches encompassing genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics offer hitherto unprecedented insights on common complex human diseases. A unique angle pertinent for both diagnostic and therapeutic sciences involves rethinking clinically distinct diseases with a view to their shared molecular targets, interactomes, and pathophysiologies. Reflecting at a scale of disease-to-disease associations might help clinicians, public health practitioners, drug and biotechnology developers, and associated knowledge industries in the current era. This review article examines the hypothesis that "Intersecting Molecular Pathways Permit Interventions on Multiple Clinical Endpoints", thus uniquely bringing together Crohn's disease and periodontitis. Furthermore, we propose a novel connector molecular target between these two ostensibly distinct diseases at a clinical level, human beta defensin (hBD)-2, and suggest pathways by which hBD-2 can conceivably connect Crohn's disease and periodontitis by virtue of regulating the innate-immune response. We conclude by emphasizing different approaches where hBD-2 can be employed as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool to improve the quality of life of susceptible individuals and minimize the economic costs of these two major global public health problems. The strategy presented here also presents potentials for targeting of multiple diseases through a unique "nodal molecular target" that "speaks to" multiple clinical endpoints.