Abstract
BackgroundDespite decades of research, our knowledge of several important aspects of periodontal pathogenesis remains incomplete. Epigenetics allows to perform dynamic analysis of different variations in gene expression, providing this great advantage to the static measurement provided by genetic markers. The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the possible relationships between different epigenetic mechanisms and periodontal diseases, and to assess their potential use as biomarkers of periodontitis.Material and MethodsA systematic search was conducted in six databases using MeSH and non-MeSH terms. The review fulfilled PRISMA criteria (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analysis).Results36 studies met the inclusion criteria. Due to the heterogeneity of the articles, it was not possible to conduct quantitative analysis. Regarding qualitative synthesis, however, it was found that epigenetic mechanisms may be used as biological markers of periodontal disease, as their dynamism and molecular stability makes them a valuable diagnostic tool.ConclusionsEpigenetic markers alter gene expression, producing either silencing or over-expression of molecular transcription that respond to the demands of the cellular surroundings. Gingival crevicular fluid collection is a non-invasive and simple procedure, which makes it an ideal diagnostic medium for detection of both oral and systemic issues. Although further research is needed, this seems to be a promising field of research in the years to come. Key words:Epigenetics, periodontitis, DNA methylation, miRNA, epigenetic biomarker, periodontal diseases.
Highlights
Periodontitis is a multifactorial inflammatory disease in which bacterial stimulus, mainly anaerobic Gramnegative bacteria, trigger molecular signaling, which in turn initiates an immune inflammatory response by the host, with the objective of halting or eliminating these microbial cells
After reading the full papers, a further 35 articles were rejected. These were excluded for the following reasons: studies involving in vitro experiments (n=13); studies that did not analyze epigenetic mechanisms (n=8); did not study relations with periodontal diseases (n=6); no control group (n=5), were literature reviews (n=1); animal studies (n=1); or a laboratory manual for sample analysis (n=1)
The present systematic review investigated the relationship between epigenetic mechanisms and periodontal pathology in humans
Summary
Periodontitis is a multifactorial inflammatory disease in which bacterial stimulus, mainly anaerobic Gramnegative bacteria, trigger molecular signaling, which in turn initiates an immune inflammatory response by the host, with the objective of halting or eliminating these microbial cells. Gene expression disorders of those genes that encode pro-inflammatory proteins, can produce a hypersecretory genotype of inflammatory molecules, increasing the risk of disease In this context, numerous investigations have been conducted to find genetic variants that can be related to increased risk of periodontitis (2). Epigenetics is not directly related to gene mutation, but to disorders in the expression of certain genes that make it possible to adapt cell functions to cellular surrounding needs This means that different situations that can occur in cell environment, such as inflammation, environmental changes etc, can lead to silencing or overexpression of certain genes that express different molecules (3). The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the possible relationship between epigenetic mechanisms and periodontal diseases in humans, and to asses their potential use as biomarkers for periodontitis. Further research is needed, this seems to be a promising field of research in the years to come
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