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Updated: Oct 28, 2025
Author Spotlight: Enhancing Dental Pulp Research with Improved Mouse Models
Published on: October 27, 2023
Comprehensive Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes in Clinically Diagnosed Irreversible Pulpitis by
Liu Liu1, Tianyi Wang2, Dingming Huang1
1State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
This study identifies novel molecular biomarkers for pulpitis, improving diagnostic accuracy beyond traditional methods. These findings offer new insights into pulpitis pathology and support molecular diagnosis for better treatment outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Biomolecular research
- Dental diagnostics
- Molecular pathology
Background:
- Clinical and histologic diagnosis of pulpitis have limitations.
- Molecular diagnosis offers a potential solution for improved accuracy.
- Vital pulp therapies can benefit from precise diagnostic tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze molecular mechanisms underlying pulpitis using integrated microarray data.
- To identify potential diagnostic biomarkers for pulpitis.
- To explore differentially expressed genes (DE genes) in inflamed pulp tissue.
Main Methods:
- Systematic search of public microarray and sequencing databases.
- Robust Rank Aggregation (RRA) for identifying DE genes (RRA_DEmRNAs and RRA_DElncRNAs).
- Functional enrichment, correlation analyses, protein-protein interaction, and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network construction.
- Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) for validation.
Main Results:
- Identified 280 RRA_DEmRNAs and 90 RRA_DElncRNAs.
- DE genes enriched in inflammation, osteoclast differentiation, and key signaling pathways.
- Constructed protein-protein interaction and ceRNA networks, identifying key genes and non-coding RNAs.
- Validated expression trends of selected inflammation-related genes and non-coding RNAs via qRT-PCR.
Conclusions:
- Identified molecular biomarkers provide insights into pulpitis pathology.
- These biomarkers may significantly aid in the molecular diagnosis of pulpitis.
- The findings support the development of advanced diagnostic strategies for dental conditions.
