Electroacupuncture regulates macrophage, neutrophil, and oral microbiota to alleviate alveolar bone loss and inflammation in experimental ligature-induced periodontitis.

AIM: Electroacupuncture (EA) regulates distant body physiology through somatic sensory autonomic reflexes, balances the microbiome, and can promote the release of immune cells into bloodstream, thereby inhibiting severe systemic inflammation. This makes it possible to use EA as an integrated treatment for periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, EA was applied to the ST36 acupoints in a ligature-induced periodontitis (LIP) mouse model. Then the effects of EA on periodontal myeloid cells, cytokines, and the microbiome were comprehensively analysed using flow cytometry, quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and 16 S sequencing. RESULTS: Results demonstrated that EA could significantly relieve periodontal bone resorption. EA also suppressed the infiltration of macrophages and neutrophils, reduced gene expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-17 and TNF-α, and increased expression of the anti-inflammatory factors IL-4 and IL-10 in periodontal tissues. Moreover, composition of the periodontal microbiome was regulated by EA, finding that complex of microbiota, including supragingival Veillonella, subgingival Streptococcus, and subgingival Erysipelatoclostridium, were significantly reduced. Meanwhile, nitrate and nitrate-related activities of subgingival microbiota were reversed. Network analysis revealed close relationships among Veillonella, Streptococcus, and Bacteroides. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that EA can effectively alleviate inflammation and bone resorption in LIP mice, potentially via the regulation of myeloid cells, cytokines, and periodontal microbiome.

Diagnostic value of microbiome biomarkers of the periodonite microbiome in patients with the association of chronic periodontitis and diabetes mellitus type 2.

The place of high-tech methods of molecular biology in clinical laboratory diagnostics of various diseases and the development of a system of biomarkers as an important component of diagnostic research is currently attracting the closest attention of the scientific community. In this paper, an attempt is made to use high-tech metagenomic analysis to solve problems that arise due to the high frequency of association of periodontal diseases with systemic pathology, in particular, with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of the study was to determine the taxonomic and metabolic features of the microbiome of periodontal tissues in periodontal diseases associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus, as a model of the ratio of local and systemic effects of periodontal pathogenic bacteria. The study included 16S shotgun sequencing of bacterial DNA as part of biological material from periodontal pockets/dentoalveolar furrows of 46 people - 15 patients with chronic periodontitis associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus, 15 patients with chronic periodontitis unrelated to systemic pathology, as well as 16 healthy people in the control group, followed by bioinformatic processing of the data obtained. The obtained data allowed us to establish the taxonomic features of the periodontal microbiome in the association of chronic periodontitis with type 2 diabetes mellitus, which included the predominance of representatives of the families Prevotellaceae and Spirochaetaceae in its composition. The features of metabolic processes in periodontal tissues with the participation of the microbiome were also revealed, which consisted in an increase in the exchange of cysteine and methionine against the background of a decrease in the metabolism of pyrimidine, methane, sphingolipids, and the synthesis of fatty acids, which are of diagnostic value in assessing the condition of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Periodontal dysbiosis linked to periodontitis is associated with cardiometabolic adaptation to high-fat diet in mice.

Periodontitis and type 2 diabetes are connected pandemic diseases, and both are risk factors for cardiovascular complications. Nevertheless, the molecular factors relating these two chronic pathologies are poorly understood. We have shown that, in response to a long-term fat-enriched diet, mice present particular gut microbiota profiles related to three metabolic phenotypes: diabetic-resistant (DR), intermediate (Inter), and diabetic-sensitive (DS). Moreover, many studies suggest that a dysbiosis of periodontal microbiota could be associated with the incidence of metabolic and cardiac diseases. We investigated whether periodontitis together with the periodontal microbiota may also be associated with these different cardiometabolic phenotypes. We report that the severity of glucose intolerance is related to the severity of periodontitis and cardiac disorders. In detail, alveolar bone loss was more accentuated in DS than Inter, DR, and normal chow-fed mice. Molecular markers of periodontal inflammation, such as TNF-α and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 mRNA levels, correlated positively with both alveolar bone loss and glycemic index. Furthermore, the periodontal microbiota of DR mice was dominated by the Streptococcaceae family of the phylum Firmicutes, whereas the periodontal microbiota of DS mice was characterized by increased Porphyromonadaceae and Prevotellaceae families. Moreover, in DS mice the periodontal microbiota was indicated by an abundance of the genera Prevotella and Tannerella, which are major periodontal pathogens. PICRUSt analysis of the periodontal microbiome highlighted that prenyltransferase pathways follow the cardiometabolic adaptation to a high-fat diet. Finally, DS mice displayed a worse cardiac phenotype, percentage of fractional shortening, heart rhythm, and left ventricle weight-to-tibia length ratio than Inter and DR mice. Together, our data show that periodontitis combined with particular periodontal microbiota and microbiome is associated with metabolic adaptation to a high-fat diet related to the severity of cardiometabolic alteration.

Corrigendum: Comparison of Periodontal Bacteria of Edo and Modern Periods Using Novel Diagnostic Approach for Periodontitis With Micro-CT.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.723821.].

Next-Generation Examination, Diagnosis, and Personalized Medicine in Periodontal Disease.

Periodontal disease, a major cause of tooth loss, is an infectious disease caused by bacteria with the additional aspect of being a noncommunicable disease closely related to lifestyle. Tissue destruction based on chronic inflammation is influenced by host and environmental factors. The treatment of periodontal disease varies according to the condition of each individual patient. Although guidelines provide standardized treatment, optimization is difficult because of the wide range of treatment options and variations in the ideas and skills of the treating practitioner. The new medical concepts of "precision medicine" and "personalized medicine" can provide more predictive treatment than conventional methods by stratifying patients in detail and prescribing treatment methods accordingly. This requires a new diagnostic system that integrates information on individual patient backgrounds (biomarkers, genetics, environment, and lifestyle) with conventional medical examination information. Currently, various biomarkers and other new examination indices are being investigated, and studies on periodontal disease-related genes and the complexity of oral bacteria are underway. This review discusses the possibilities and future challenges of precision periodontics and describes the new generation of laboratory methods and advanced periodontal disease treatment approaches as the basis for this new field.

Comparison of Periodontal Bacteria of Edo and Modern Periods Using Novel Diagnostic Approach for Periodontitis With Micro-CT.

Ancient dental calculus, formed from dental plaque, is a rich source of ancient DNA and can provide information regarding the food and oral microbiology at that time. Genomic analysis of dental calculus from Neanderthals has revealed the difference in bacterial composition of oral microbiome between Neanderthals and modern humans. There are few reports investigating whether the pathogenic bacteria of periodontitis, a polymicrobial disease induced in response to the accumulation of dental plaque, were different between ancient and modern humans. This study aimed to compare the bacterial composition of the oral microbiome in ancient and modern human samples and to investigate whether lifestyle differences depending on the era have altered the bacterial composition of the oral microbiome and the causative bacteria of periodontitis. Additionally, we introduce a novel diagnostic approach for periodontitis in ancient skeletons using micro-computed tomography. Ancient 16S rDNA sequences were obtained from 12 samples at the Unko-in site (18th-19th century) of the Edo era (1603-1867), a characteristic period in Japan when immigrants were not accepted. Furthermore, modern 16S rDNA data from 53 samples were obtained from a database to compare the modern and ancient microbiome. The microbial co-occurrence network was analyzed based on 16S rDNA read abundance. Eubacterium species, Mollicutes species, and Treponema socranskii were the core species in the Edo co-occurrence network. The co-occurrence relationship between Actinomyces oricola and Eggerthella lenta appeared to have played a key role in causing periodontitis in the Edo era. However, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. vincentii, and Prevotella pleuritidis were the core and highly abundant species in the co-occurrence network of modern samples. These results suggest the possibility of differences in the pathogens causing periodontitis during different eras in history.