Downregulation of oxytocin-related genes in periodontitis

Abstract

Periodontitis is a common oral disorder leading to tooth loss in both developed and developing regions of the world. This multifactorial condition is related to the abnormal activity of several molecular pathways, among them are oxytocin-related pathways. In this study, we enrolled 26 patients and 28 controls and assessed the expression of four oxytocin-related genes, namely, FOS, ITPR, RCAN1, and RGS2, in circulation and affected tissues of enrolled individuals using real-time PCR. Expression of FOS was downregulated in total periodontitis tissues compared with total control tissues [ratio of mean expression (RME) = 0.23, P-value = 0.03]. Expression of FOS was also lower in total blood samples of patients compared with total controls. Expression of ITPR was downregulated in total periodontitis tissues compared with total control tissues (RME = 0.16, P-value = 0.01). Moreover, the expression of ITPR was reduced in total blood samples of patients compared with controls (RME = 0.25, P-value = 0.03). Expression of RCAN1 was downregulated in total periodontitis tissues compared with total control tissues (RME = 0.17, P-value = 0.01). However, the expression of RCAN1 was not different in blood samples of affected vs. unaffected individuals. Finally, the expression of RGS2 was lower in total periodontitis tissues compared with total control tissues (RME = 0.24, P-value = 0.01) and in total blood samples of affected individuals compared with controls (RME = 0.42, P-value = 0.05). This study provides data about the association between expressions of oxytocin-related genes and the presence of periodontitis. Future studies are needed to unravel the mechanistic links and find the correlation between expressions of these genes and the pathological stage of periodontitis.

Oxytocin alleviates periodontitis in adult rats

“…21 Very recent publications demonstrated that OXT decreased bone resorption, oxidative stress, and inflammatory mediators in plasma in an experimental model of periodontitis. 22 Moreover, Ghafouri-Fard et al 23 have shown a decreased expression of oxytocin-related genes, which participate in the regulation of the immune response, in the peripheral blood of patients with periodontitis.…”

Resveratrol modulates the inflammatory response in hPDLSCs via the NRF2/HO‐1 and NF‐κB pathways and promotes osteogenic differentiation

“…[2][3][4] It is also a common disease in both developed and developing regions of the world with a global prevalence of 20%-50%. 5 However, traditional clinical therapies for periodontitis merely reduce the number of microorganisms, and they cannot completely recover the destruction of the alveolar bone caused by periodontitis. It remains challenging to use existing treatments to achieve the desired therapeutic effect in clinics.…”

“…In periodontitis, the inflammatory microenvironment leads to alveolar bone defects and loss of the ability to regenerate and repair periodontal tissues, ultimately leading to tooth loosening 2–4 . It is also a common disease in both developed and developing regions of the world with a global prevalence of 20%–50% 5 . However, traditional clinical therapies for periodontitis merely reduce the number of microorganisms, and they cannot completely recover the destruction of the alveolar bone caused by periodontitis.…”