Screening and Verification of Plasma Differentially Expressed Genes in Chronic Periodontitis by Bioinformatics Method

doi:10.13701/j.cnki.kqyxyj.2026.02.010

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: To screen plasma diagnostic markers for chronic periodontitis and explore its potential pathogenesis using bioinformatics methods. Methods: Blood expression profile data of chronic periodontitis were downloaded from the GEO(Gene Expression Omnibus) database, and differentially expressed genes were obtained via GEO2R analysis. GO and KEGG analyses were performed to identify up-regulation or down-regulation pathways. Key genes were screened using the String database and Cytoscape software. A total of 28 plasma samples from patients with chronic periodontitis and 31 from normal controls were included. Real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the expression level of key genes, and receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) were plotted to evaluate the diagnostic value of these key genes for chronic periodontitis. Results: GO analysis showed that differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in mitochondrial energy metabolism and redox function, while KEGG analysis indicated that these genes were mainly involved in the pathological processes of neurodegenerative diseases and metabolic diseases. RT-PCR results revealed that the expression levels of mitochondrially encoded cytochrome C oxidase Ⅱ (MT-CO2) and mitochondrially encoded cytochrome B (MT-CYB) were up-regulated in the plasma of patients with chronic periodontitis, with area under the curves (AUC) of 0.682 and 0.702, respectively. The AUC for their combined diagnosis value was 0.763. Conclusion: Chronic periodontitis is closely associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Plasma MT-CO2 and MT-CYB exhibit certain diagnostic value for chronic periodontitis and have the potential to serve as diagnostic markers.

Key words: chronic periodontitis, biomarkers, mitochondrial dysfunction, bioinformatics

LU Qinglan, CHEN Li, ZHOU Guangqi, LI Xiaowen, LIANG Hao, LIANG Lingling, LI Xiaojie. Screening and Verification of Plasma Differentially Expressed Genes in Chronic Periodontitis by Bioinformatics Method[J]. Journal of Oral Science Research, 2026, 42(2): 141-147.

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