The Subgingival Host-Microbial Landscape in Mothers With Periodontitis and Their At-Risk Offspring.

Area of Science:

• Periodontology
• Microbiome Research
• Proteomics

Background:

• Periodontitis is a prevalent inflammatory disease affecting the gums.
• Maternal health status can influence offspring's health outcomes.
• Understanding early life exposure to periodontal pathogens is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the subgingival proteome and microbiome between mothers with periodontitis and their offspring.
• To identify shared periodontal disease signatures in maternal-offspring pairs.
• To assess the influence of maternal periodontitis on offspring's oral microbiome and proteome.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 40 participants in four groups: mothers with periodontitis and their offspring, and healthy controls and their offspring.
• Assessment of periodontal clinical parameters.
• Collection of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and subgingival biofilm.
• Proteomic analysis of GCF using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).
• Microbiome analysis of subgingival biofilms via 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Main Results:

• Quantification of 6147 bacterial and human proteins.
• Offspring of mothers with periodontitis exhibited similar proteotypes, with increased inflammatory markers and decreased epithelial barrier proteins, despite no attachment loss.
• Higher colonization by periodontopathogens and increased bacterial virulence protein expression were observed in offspring of affected mothers.

Conclusions:

• Maternal periodontal microbiome and proteome are associated with offspring's profiles and maternal periodontal status.
• Early life exposure to maternal periodontal dysbiosis may increase offspring's susceptibility to periodontal disease.
• Shared microbial and protein signatures suggest potential vertical transmission and early-onset risk for periodontitis.