Frontiers | The Porphyromonas gingivalis/host interactome shows enrichment in GWASdb genes related to Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

Periodontal disease is of established aetiology in which polymicrobial
synergistic ecology has become dysbiotic under the influence of
Porphyromonas gingivalis. Following breakdown of the host’s protective
oral tissue barriers, P. gingivalis migrates to developing inflammatory
pathologies that associate with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Periodontal
disease is a risk factor for cardiovascular disorders (CVD), type II
diabetes mellitus (T2DM), AD and other chronic diseases, whilst T2DM
exacerbates periodontitis. This study analysed the relationship between
the P. gingivalis/host interactome and the genes identified in
genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for the aforementioned conditions
using data from GWASdb (P<1E-03) and, in some cases, from the
NCBI/EBI GWAS database (P< 1E-05). Gene expression data from
periodontitis or P. gingivalis microarray was compared to microarray
datasets from the AD hippocampus and/or from carotid artery plaques. The
results demonstrated that the host genes of the P. gingivalis
interactome were significantly enriched in genes deposited in GWASdb
genes related to cognitive disorders, AD and dementia, and its co-morbid
conditions T2DM, obesity, and CVD. The P. gingivalis/host interactome
was also enriched in GWAS genes from the more stringent NCBI-EBI
database for AD, atherosclerosis and T2DM. The misregulated genes in
periodontitis tissue or P. gingivalis infected macrophages also matched
those in the AD hippocampus or atherosclerotic plaques. Together, these
data suggest important gene/environment interactions between P.
gingivalis and susceptibility genes or gene expression changes in
conditions where periodontal disease is a contributory factor.

Pancreatic cancer risk linked to changes in mouth bacteria - Medical News Today

The participants were taking part in larger, ongoing studies of cancer risk, where they had been given mouthwash samples when they joined the studies. They were followed for nearly 10 years, during which any cancer diagnoses were noted.

When they analyzed the results, Prof. Ahn and colleagues found that participants whose mouth bacteria contained either of two certain types had a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer, compared with participants whose oral microbiome showed no evidence of the microorganisms.

Specifically, they found presence of Porphyromonas gingivalis was linked to a 59% overall higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Similarly, presence of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans was linked to a 50% overall higher risk. Both types of bacteria are known to be associated with gum disease or periodontitis."

Periodontitis and Heart Disease: Researchers Connect the Molecular Dots

Periodontitis is a risk factor for heart disease. Now a team of researchers has shown that a periodontal pathogen causes changes in gene expression that boost inflammation and atherosclerosis in aortic smooth muscle cells. The research is published ahead of print in Infection and Immunity, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

Porphyromonas gingivalis Periodontal Infection and Its Putative Links with Alzheimer's Disease. - PubMed - NCBI

Periodontal disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are inflammatory
conditions affecting the global adult population. In the pathogenesis of
PD, subgingival complex bacterial biofilm induces inflammation that
leads to connective tissue degradation and alveolar bone resorption
around the teeth. In health, junctional epithelium seals the gingiva to
the tooth enamel, thus preventing bacteria from entering the gingivae.
Chronic PD involves major pathogens (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia)
which have an immune armoury that can circumvent host's immune
surveillance to create and maintain an inflammatory mediator rich and
toxic environment to grow and survive. The neurodegenerative condition,
AD, is characterised by poor memory and specific hallmark proteins;
periodontal pathogens are increasingly being linked with this dementing
condition. It is therefore becoming important to understand associations
of periodontitis with relevance to late-onset AD. The aim of this
review is to discuss the relevance of finding the keystone periodontal
pathogen P. gingivalis in AD brains and its plausible contribution to the aetiological hypothesis of this dementing condition.

Drug may guard against periodontitis, related chronic diseases

  "A drug currently used to treat intestinal worms ( Oxantel ) could protect people from periodontitis, an advanced gum disease, which untreated can erode the structures -- including bone -- that hold the teeth in the jaw. The research was published ahead of print in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy."
Oxantel inhibits biofilm growth by interfering with an enzyme that the oral bacteria require for biofilm formation

Immunity & Ageing | Full text | Variations in inflammatory genes are associated with periodontitis

Periodontitis is a multi-factorial disease and several risk-factors such as infections, inflammatory responses, oral hygiene, smoke, aging and individual predisposition are involved in the disease. Pathogens trigger chronic inflammation with cytokines release which in turn leads to the destruction of the connective and the teeth supporting bone. The identification of genetic factors controlling oral inflammation may increase our understanding of genetic predisposition to periodontitis.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter region of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, Alpha-1-Antichymotripsin, hydroxy-methyl-glutaryl CoA reductase, Interferon alpha, Interleukin-1 Beta, Interleukin 10, Interleukin 6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor- alpha genes from a case/control study were investigated.

Results

The C allele of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, A allele of Interleukin 10 and GG genotype of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α were individually associated with chronic periodontitis. However, the concomitant presence of the three genetic markers in the same subjects appeared to play a synergistic role and increased several folds the risk of the disease.

Conclusions

Our findings offer new tools to implement the screening of unaffected subjects with an increased susceptibility of periodontitis and increase our understanding regarding the genetic inflammatory background related to familiarity of the disease.

High-dose statin may reduce gum inflammation

  "A new study offers more evidence of a link between oral and heart health. It found that high-dose statins can reduce gum inflammation in heart disease patients in as little as 4 weeks."

Alzheimer's Symptoms 'Linked To Gum Disease And Poor Dental Health'

Poor dental health and gum disease may be linked to Alzheimer's disease, a study suggests.

Brains of deceased dementia patients were found to contain signs of Porphyromonas gingivalis, the bug responsible for unhealthy gums.

Scientists believe when the bacteria reach the brain they trigger an immune response that can lead to the death of neurons.

Genes that control nervous system development play a role in gum disease

 "By simultaneously investigating millions of gene variants in more than 5,000 individuals, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reveal that genes that are responsible for nervous system development and immune function also play a role in an insidious gum disease known as chronic periodontitis."

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Serum antibodies to periodontal pathogens are a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.

Chronic inflammation in periodontal disease has been suggested as a potential risk factor in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The purpose of this study was to examine serum antibody levels to bacteria of periodontal disease in participants who eventually converted to AD compared with the antibody levels in control subjects.

METHODS:

Serum samples from 158 participants in the Biologically Resilient Adults in Neurological Studies research program at the University of Kentucky were analyzed for immunoglobulin G antibody levels to seven oral bacteria associated with periodontitis, including Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Campylobacter rectus, Treponema denticola, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Tannerella forsythia, and Prevotella intermedia. All 158 participants were cognitively intact at baseline venous blood draw. In all, 81 of the participants developed either mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or AD or both, and 77 controls remained cognitively intact in the years of follow-up. Antibody levels were compared between controls and subjects with AD at baseline draw and after conversion and controls and subjects with MCI at baseline draw and after conversion using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. AD and MCI participants were not directly compared. Linear regression models were used to adjust for potential confounding.

RESULTS:

Antibody levels to F nucleatum and P intermedia were significantly increased (α = 0.05) at baseline serum draw in the patients with AD compared with controls. These results remained significant when controlling for baseline age, Mini-Mental State Examination score, and apolipoprotein epsilon 4 status.

CONCLUSIONS:

This study provides initial data that demonstrate elevated antibodies to periodontal disease bacteria in subjects years before cognitive impairment and suggests that periodontal disease could potentially contribute to the risk of AD onset/progression. Additional cohort studies profiling oral clinical presentation with systemic response and AD and prospective studies to evaluate any cause-and-effect association are warranted

Dried licorice root fights the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease

Scientists are reporting identification of two substances in licorice — used extensively in Chinese traditional medicine — that kill the major bacteria responsible for tooth decay and gum disease, the leading causes of tooth loss in children and adults. In a study in ACS' Journal of Natural Products, they say that these substances could have a role in treating and preventing tooth decay and gum disease.

Mouse study explains bacterium's unique role in periodontitis, November 29, 2011 News Release - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The researchers report that the microbe Porphyromonas gingivalis hacks into the front-line immune cells that police the space between tooth and gum, known as the subgingival crevice, and reprograms them to create living conditions more to its microbial liking.

Lose the fat and improve the gums, dental researchers find

Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine researchers found the human body is better at fighting gum disease when fat cells, which trigger inflammation, disappear.

Fruit and vegetable compound offers hope against gum disease

(Medical Xpress) -- Scientists at the University of Birmingham have found that supplementing the diet with a special combination of fruit and vegetable juice powder concentrates may help to combat chronic gum disease when combined with conventional dental therapy.

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