Testosterone Modulates Virulence-Associated Phenotypes of Porphyromonas gingivalis W50

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a keystone periodontal pathogen strongly associated with periodontitis progression. Although testosterone levels have been associated with periodontal health, its direct effects on P. gingivalis virulence remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of testosterone exposure on the key virulence characteristics of P. gingivalis strain W50. We found that testosterone significantly increased the growth and biofilm biomass of P. gingivalis W50 after 48 h. Furthermore, testosterone enhanced the extracellular gingipain activity of both lysine and arginine gingipains from P. gingivalis. We also found that IL-1β release from gingival epithelial cells was significantly lowered following infection with testosterone-primed P. gingivalis compared with unprimed W50. At the mRNA level, no differences in pro-IL-1β, IL-8, or CXCL10 gene expression were detected in gingival epithelial cells infected with testosterone-primed P. gingivalis compared with unprimed W50. Finally, testosterone priming significantly enhanced the ability of P. gingivalis to colonize and invade gingival epithelial cells. Overall, these findings indicate that testosterone exposure modulates several virulence-associated phenotypes of P. gingivalis W50 in vitro. The mechanisms underlying these effects and their relevance to periodontal disease in vivo remain to be determined.