Metabolomics analysis in saliva from periodontally healthy, gingivitis and periodontitis patients

Abstract

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate metabolomics markers in the saliva of patients with periodontal health, gingivitis and periodontitis.BackgroundThe use of metabolomics for diagnosing and monitoring periodontitis is promising. Although several metabolites have been reported to be altered by inflammation, few studies have examined metabolomics in saliva collected from patients with different periodontal phenotypes.MethodsSaliva samples collected from a total of 63 patients were analysed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) followed by ELISA for interleukin (IL)‐1β. The patient sample, well‐characterised clinically, included periodontal health (n = 8), gingivitis (n = 19) and periodontitis (n = 36) cases, all non‐smokers and not diabetic.ResultsPeriodontal diagnosis (healthy/gingivitis/periodontitis) was not associated with any salivary metabolites in this exploratory study. Periodontal staging showed nominal associations with acetoin (p = .030) and citrulline (p = .047). Among other investigated variables, the use of systemic antibiotics in the previous 3 months was associated with higher values of the amino acids taurine, glycine and ornithine (p = .002, p = .05 and p = .005, respectively, at linear regression adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity, body mass index and staging).ConclusionWhile periodontal staging was marginally associated with some salivary metabolites, other factors such as systemic antibiotic use may have a much more profound effect on the microbial metabolites in saliva. Metabolomics in periodontal disease is still an underresearched area that requires further observational studies on large cohorts of patients, aiming to obtain data to be used for clinical translation.

Manipulating the diseased oral microbiome: the power of probiotics and prebiotics

“…At present, mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance are the main techniques in metabolomics and have been employed in the exploration of differential metabolites found in the oral microbiome between health and disease. In periodontal diseases, clinical studies revealed alterations in some metabolites between periodontally healthy and diseased individuals [ 157–160 ]. Wei et al .…”

“…Periodontitis-metabolic biomarkers in saliva, GCF or dental plaque have been investigated for years, but there is no consensus in specific metabolites identified as the disease signature across the studies [ 157 , 159 , 181–183 ]. Nonetheless, targets might include short chain fatty acids, as butyrate has been demonstrated to impact epithelial cell junctions, amongst other influences [ 184 ], protease inhibition to tackle the detrimental proteolytic activity [ 185 ] and oxidative stress pathways to counteract the damage caused [ 186 ].…”