Association of Work Patterns and Periodontitis Prevalence in Korean Adults Aged 50 Years or Older: A Nationwide Representative Study

Uncovering the potential role of oxidative stress in the development of periodontitis and establishing a stable diagnostic model via combining single-cell and machine learning analysis

Background

The primary pathogenic cause of tooth loss in adults is periodontitis, although few reliable diagnostic methods are available in the early stages. One pathological factor that defines periodontitis pathology has previously been believed to be the equilibrium between inflammatory defense mechanisms and oxidative stress. Therefore, it is necessary to construct a model of oxidative stress-related periodontitis diagnostic markers through machine learning and bioinformatic analysis.

Methods

We used LASSO, SVM-RFE, and Random Forest techniques to screen for periodontitis-related oxidative stress variables and construct a diagnostic model by logistic regression, followed by a biological approach to build a Protein-Protein interaction network (PPI) based on modelled genes while using modelled genes. Unsupervised clustering analysis was performed to screen for oxidative stress subtypes of periodontitis. we used WGCNA to explore the pathways correlated with oxidative stress in periodontitis patients. Networks. Finally, we used single-cell data to screen the cellular subpopulations with the highest correlation by scoring oxidative stress genes and performed a proposed temporal analysis of the subpopulations.

Results

We discovered 3 periodontitis-associated genes (CASP3, IL-1β, and TXN). A characteristic line graph based on these genes can be helpful for patients. The primary hub gene screened by the PPI was constructed, where immune-related and cellular metabolism-related pathways were significantly enriched. Consistent clustering analysis found two oxidative stress categories, with the C2 subtype showing higher immune cell infiltration and immune function ratings. Therefore, we hypothesized that the high expression of oxidative stress genes was correlated with the formation of the immune environment in patients with periodontitis. Using the WGCNA approach, we examined the co-expressed gene modules related to the various subtypes of oxidative stress. Finally, we selected monocytes for mimetic time series analysis and analyzed the expression changes of oxidative stress genes with the mimetic time series axis, in which the expression of JUN, TXN, and IL-1β differed with the change of cell status.

Conclusion

This study identifies a diagnostic model of 3-OSRGs from which patients can benefit and explores the importance of oxidative stress genes in building an immune environment in patients with periodontitis.

Effects of Limosilactobacillus fermentum CCFM1139 on experimental periodontitis in rats

Periodontitis is a polymicrobial inflammatory disease often characterized by the excessive colonization of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, which causes alveolar bone resorption and advanced oral inflammation. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Limosilactobacillus fermentum CCFM1139 on experimental periodontitis induced following ligature and infection with P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum in vivo. The results showed that L. fermentum CCFM1139 significantly reduced weight loss associated with periodontal inflammation (p < 0.05), while decreasing both the P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum populations within the oral cavity of rats (p < 0.05) and regulating the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1 beta, and IL-8 in the periodontal tissue (p < 0.05). Microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) and histopathological examination revealed that L. fermentum CCFM1139 supplementation reduced the level of alveolar bone loss and bone porosity and increased bone volume (p < 0.05) in the experimental animals. Furthermore, L. fermentum CCFM1139 exhibited promising effects in preventing the deepening of the periodontal pocket and the increase in the gap between adjacent molars. Thus L. fermentum CCFM1139 was shown to have solid potential as an oral probiotic for protection against periodontitis suggesting that this may be a good candidate in the production of a new functional food for improving periodontitis.