Relationship between pathogenic bacteria and RANKL/OPG, MMPs/TIMPs, SFRP1 levels in gingival crevicular fluid and disease severity of patients with chronic periodontitis

OBJECTIVE To study the relationship between pathogenic bacteria and levels of nuclear factor κB receptor activator ligand (RANKL)/osteoprotegerin (OPG), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)/ matrix metalloproteinases inhibitors (TIMPs) and secretory curl related protein 1(SFRP1) gingival crevicular fluid and severity disease in patient with chronic periodontitis (CP).

METHODS Totally 187 cases of CP patients admitted to Tengzhou Central People′s Hospital from Jan. 2021 to Dec. 2023 were selected as the case CP group, and the distribution of infectious pathogens in CP patients was counted. Another 195 healthy people who underwent physical examination during the same period were selected as the periodontal healthy group. The periodontal condotion and the levels of RANKL/OPG, MMPs/TIMPs and SFRP1 in gingival crevicular fluid were compared among the groups. Patients with CP were divided into the mild CP group (93 cases), the moderate CP group (69 cases) and the severe CP group (25 cases) according to the severity of the disease. The levels of RANKL/OPG, MMPs/TIMPs and SFRP1 in gingival crevicular fluid of the three groups were compared, and the correlation between the levels of RANKL/OPG, MMPs/TIMPs and SFRP1 in gingival crevicular fluid and periodontal condition was analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient.

RESULTS A total of 195 strains of pathogenic bacteria were isolated from 187 CP patients with infection, among which Porphyromonas gingivalis and Bacteroides Forsythiae accounted for 26.15% and 22.05% respectively. The levels of periodontal health in dicatonrs of the CP group were higher than these of the healthy group. The RANKL/OPG, matrix metalloproteinase -1(MMP-1), MMP-3, MMP-8, MMP-9 and SFRP1 in gingival crevicular fluid of the CP group were (0.78±0.25), (187.83±22.01)ng/ml, (25.98±3.17)ng/ml, (140.69±16.48)ng/ml, (115.37±14.27)ng/ml and (408.54±58.77)pg/ml respectively, all higher than those in the periodontal healthy group, while the TIMP-1 in the CP group was (91.26±9.69)ng/ml, lower than that in the periodontal healthy group(P < 0.05). The levels of RANKL/OPG, MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-8, MMP-9 and SFRP1 in gingival crevicular fluid of the mild, the moderate and the severe CP groups showed an increasing trend, while the level of TIMP-1 showed a decreasing trend (P < 0.05). The levels of RANKL/OPG, MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-8, MMP-9 and SFRP1 in gingival crevicular fluid of patients with CP were positively correlated with the changes of periodontal health indicators (P < 0.05), while the level of TIMP-1 in gingival crevicular fluid was negatively correlated with the changes of periodontal health indicators (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS The main infectious pathogens of CP patients includ Porphyromonas gingivalis and Bacteroides Forsythiae, which make poor periodontal conditions. The onset and progression of the disease of CP patients are accompanied by changes in the levels of RANKL/OPG, MMPs/TIMPs and SFRP1 in gingival crevicular fluid, meanwhile the levels of RANKL/OPG, MMPs/TIMPs and SFRP1 in gingival crevicular fluid are closely related to their periodontal condition.