Serdar Ceyhan C, Guney Zeliha, Balci Nur, Altingoz Sema M, Serdar Muhittin A, Kurgan Sivge
Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, School of Medicine, Ankara Medipol University, Ankara, Turkey.
Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, Ankara Medipol University, Ankara, Turkey.
Clin Oral Investig. 2025 Mar 25;29(4):206. doi: 10.1007/s00784-025-06295-4.
Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) has been implicated in systemic inflammatory pathways, emphasizing its potential as a biomarker. Elevated plasma TMAO levels have been associated with increased oxidative stress, leading to higher plasma concentrations of TNF-α, a key pro-inflammatory cytokine. Given this systemic inflammatory linkage, saliva-a non-invasive diagnostic medium-offers a unique opportunity to reflect both local and systemic inflammatory changes. This study aimed to evaluate the alterations in salivary and serum TMAO levels in periodontitis and assess the diagnostic potential of salivary TMAO as an indicator of periodontal inflammation.
Twenty-four patients with periodontitis (Stage III Grade B) and 24 healthy controls were included. Clinical parameters (probing depth (PD), plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing (BOP), and clinical attachment loss (CAL)) were recorded. TMAO levels in saliva and serum were measured using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and TNF-α levels were assessed using Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA).
Salivary and serum TMAO levels and salivary TNF-α levels were significantly higher in the periodontitis group (p = 0.003, p = 0.004, and p = 0.031, respectively). Salivary TMAO showed positive correlations with periodontal parameters (p < 0.05) and salivary TNF-α levels. A significant positive correlation was also observed between salivary and serum TMAO levels (p < 0.001). Salivary TMAO was the accurate biomarker in differentiating between periodontitis and controls (sensitivity = 0.583, specificity = 0.833, AUC = 0.747).
Salivary TMAO demonstrates potential as a non-invasive marker for periodontitis, showing correlations with clinical parameters and inflammatory markers. These findings suggest that TMAO may reflect both local and systemic inflammatory states associated with periodontal disease.
Salivary TMAO may serve as a potential non-invasive indicator of periodontitis, as it reflects aspects of both local and systemic inflammation, offering insights into periodontal disease status.
氧化三甲胺（TMAO）与全身炎症途径有关，这凸显了其作为生物标志物的潜力。血浆TMAO水平升高与氧化应激增加有关，导致关键促炎细胞因子TNF-α的血浆浓度升高。鉴于这种全身炎症联系，唾液作为一种非侵入性诊断介质，提供了一个反映局部和全身炎症变化的独特机会。本研究旨在评估牙周炎患者唾液和血清中TMAO水平的变化，并评估唾液TMAO作为牙周炎症指标的诊断潜力。
纳入24例牙周炎患者（III期B级）和24例健康对照者。记录临床参数（探诊深度（PD）、菌斑指数（PI）、探诊出血（BOP）和临床附着丧失（CAL））。采用液相色谱-质谱联用（LC-MS/MS）法测定唾液和血清中TMAO水平，采用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）法评估TNF-α水平。
牙周炎组唾液和血清TMAO水平以及唾液TNF-α水平显著更高（分别为p = 0.003、p = 0.004和p = 0.031）。唾液TMAO与牙周参数（p < 0.05）和唾液TNF-α水平呈正相关。唾液和血清TMAO水平之间也观察到显著正相关（p < 0.001）。唾液TMAO是区分牙周炎和对照的准确生物标志物（敏感性 = 0.583，特异性 = 0.833，AUC = 0.747）。
唾液TMAO显示出作为牙周炎非侵入性标志物的潜力，与临床参数和炎症标志物相关。这些发现表明，TMAO可能反映与牙周疾病相关的局部和全身炎症状态。
唾液TMAO可能作为牙周炎的潜在非侵入性指标，因为它反映了局部和全身炎症的各个方面，有助于了解牙周疾病状态。
