Obstructive Sleep Apnea Associated with Periodontitis: Evidence from Mendelian Randomization and Salivary Proteomics

Area of Science:

• Oral Health
• Sleep Medicine
• Genetics
• Proteomics

Background:

• Clinical observations suggest a link between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and periodontitis.
• The causal direction and underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the causal relationship between OSA and periodontitis using Mendelian randomization.
• To identify salivary protein biomarkers involved in their shared pathogenesis.

Main Methods:

• Bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis utilizing genome-wide association study (GWAS) statistics.
• Data-independent acquisition (DIA)-based salivary proteomics to identify differentially expressed proteins in OSA patients and controls.
• Screening of OSA-associated proteins for correlation with OSA severity and overlap with periodontitis cohorts.

Main Results:

• MR analysis indicated a causal effect of OSA on periodontitis, but not vice versa.
• Proteomics revealed severity-dependent salivary protein changes in OSA, with upregulation in antigen processing and presentation pathways.
• Eight proteins, including NAMPT, GSN, and S100A8/A9, showed increased expression with periodontal destruction and were validated as hub proteins.

Conclusions:

• The study supports a potential causal link and shared proteomic basis between OSA and periodontitis.
• NAMPT, GSN, and S100A8/A9 are identified as candidate mediators in the inflammatory interplay between OSA and periodontitis.