Larsson Lena
Department of Periodontology, Institute of Odontology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Box 450, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.
Curr Oral Health Rep. 2017;4(4):286-293. doi: 10.1007/s40496-017-0156-9. Epub 2017 Nov 6.
The focus of this review is to provide an overview of the recent findings on the role of epigenetic mechanisms in periodontal disease, including disease susceptibility, progression, and as potential treatment options.
The findings on the influence of oral pathogens on epigenetic regulation of pathogen recognition receptors, such as Toll-like receptors, as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines suggest an important role for epigenetics in the regulation of the host immune response. Recent studies also show that the epigenetic pattern in periodontitis lesions differ from that of healthy and gingivitis tissue. In addition, these patterns differ between tissues in the same individual. Research is also indicating a role for both DNA methylation and histone acetylation on cells osteogenic differentiation and bone regeneration.
Knowledge of epigenetic pattern in periodontal diseases may add not only to the knowledge of susceptibility of the disease but may also be a diagnostic tool to identify patients at risk to develop the severe form of periodontitis. In addition, recent research within gene therapy and tissue engineering indicate a role for epigenetics also to improve regeneration of periodontal tissues.
本综述的重点是概述近期关于表观遗传机制在牙周病中的作用的研究结果，包括疾病易感性、进展情况以及作为潜在治疗选择的相关内容。
关于口腔病原体对病原体识别受体（如Toll样受体）以及促炎细胞因子的表观遗传调控的影响的研究结果表明，表观遗传学在宿主免疫反应的调节中起着重要作用。近期研究还表明，牙周炎病变中的表观遗传模式与健康组织和牙龈炎组织不同。此外，同一个体不同组织中的这些模式也存在差异。研究还表明DNA甲基化和组蛋白乙酰化在细胞成骨分化和骨再生中均发挥作用。
了解牙周病中的表观遗传模式不仅可能增加对该疾病易感性的认识，还可能成为识别有发展为重度牙周炎风险患者的诊断工具。此外，基因治疗和组织工程领域的最新研究表明，表观遗传学在改善牙周组织再生方面也发挥着作用。
