Gum disease bacterium is associated with increased risk of vaginal fibrillation

Temptation to skip the thread? Your heart may thank you if you don’t. A new study by Hiroshima University (HU) finds that the gum disease bacterium Gingivalis porphyromonas (P. Gingivalis) can slip into the bloodstream and penetrate the heart. There, it quietly leads to the accumulation of scar tissue known as fibrosis-degradation of the heart architecture, interferes with electrical signals and increasing the risk of atrial fibrillation (AFIB).

Clinicians have long noticed that people with periodontitis, a common form of gum disease, look more prone to cardiovascular problems. A recent meta-analysis has linked it to a 30% higher risk of developing Afib, a potentially severe heart rate disorder that can lead to stroke, heart failure and other life-threatening complications. Worldwide, AFIB cases have almost doubled under a decade, increasing from 33.5 million in 2010 to about 60 million by 2019. Now, scientific curiosity is increasing in the way gum disease can contribute to this increase.

The previous research has highlighted inflammation as a possible culprit. When immune cells in the gum rally to fight infection, the chemical signals that release can inadvertently leak into the bloodstream, supplying systematic inflammation that can damage the organs away from the mouth.

But inflammation is not the only threat that escapes inflammatory gums. Researchers have discovered DNA from harmful oral bacteria to the heart muscle, valves and even oily arterial plates. Among them, P. Gingivalis He has carried out a special control over his suspicious role in a growing list of systemic diseases, including Alzheimer’s, diabetes and certain cancers. It has previously been detected in the brain, liver and placenta. But how he manages to keep the heart was unclear. This study, published in Trafficprovides the first clear proof that P. Gingivalis In the gums it can wipe its way to the left atrium on both animal models and humans, showing a possible microbial pathway connecting periodontitis to afib.

The causal relationship between periodontitis and atrial fibrillation is still unknown, but the spread of periodontal bacteria through the bloodstream can link these conditions. ”

Shunsuke Miyauchi, Study First Author, Assistant Professor at HU Biomedical and Health Sciences School

“Between various periodontal bacteria, P. Gingivalis It is extremely pathogenic for periodontitis and certain systemic diseases outside the oral cavity. In this study, we encountered these two basic questions: it makes P. Gingivalis Transferred to the left patio from periodontitis damage? And if so, it causes vaginal fibrosis and afib? ”

Looking at the gum disease link

To simulate how P. Gingivalis It can get out of the mouth and cause haunting elsewhere, the researchers have created a mouse model using the bacterium’s aggressive W83. Male mice 13 weeks in two groups were separated: one had the stem introduced into the teeth pulp, the other remained not infected. Each was further divided into subgroups and observed for 12 or 18 weeks to identify the cardiovascular hazards.

Endocardial stimulation-a diagnostic technique for arrhythmia that does not reveal any difference in the risk of afib between infected and non-infected mice at 12 weeks. But by week 18, tests showed that the mice exposed to the bacterium were six times more likely to develop abnormal heart rate, with an inductive of 30% AFIB compared to just 5% in the control group.

To see if their model accurately reproduces periodontitis, the researchers examined jaw lesions and found its signs. Detected the decomposition of tooth pulp and micro -colonies caused by P. Gingivalis. But the damage didn’t stop there. They also saw the bacterium in the left vagina of the heart, where the infected tissue had become rigid and fibrous. Using isothermal reinforcement with loop mediation to detect specific genetic signatures, the group confirmed that the P. Gingivalis The executive they had introduced were present in the heart. On the contrary, non -infected mice had healthy teeth and no trace of the bacterium in heart tissue samples.

Twelve weeks after infection, mice are exposed to P. Gingivalis already showed more heart than their uninfected counterparts. At 18 weeks, scars in contaminated mice had increased to 21.9% compared to the possible 16.3% aged aging in the control group, suggesting that P. Gingivalis It may not only cause early heart damage, but also accelerate it over time.

And this worrying connection was not only observed in mice. In a separate human study, the researchers analyzed the left vaginal tissue of 68 patients with AFIB who underwent heart surgery. P. Gingivalis He was also there, and in greater quantities in people with serious gum disease.

Master of Stealth attack

Previous studies have shown that P. Gingivalis It can invade host cells and avoid the destruction of autophagosomes, the garbage crew. This ability to hide in cells indicates a way in which it can slip beyond immune defenses and cause enough inflammation to cause harm without rinsing. Infected mice showed a spike in Galactin-3, a biomarker for fibrosis and the highest expression of Tgfb1a gene associated with inflammation and scars.

The findings indicate that brushing, thread and regular dental checks can do more than promoting oral hygiene, they could also help protect the heart. Maintaining healthy gums could prevent gate for a P. Gingivalis invasion.

“P. Gingivalis It invades the circulatory system through periodontal lesions and further shifts to the left atrium, where its bacterial load is associated with the clinical severity of periodontitis. Once found in the patio, it aggravates vaginal fibrosis, which results in higher afib, “Miyauchi said.” Therefore, periodontal treatment, which can prevent the gate of P. Gingivalis Shift can play an important role in the prevention and treatment of afib. ”

The team is now working to strengthen interdisciplinary cooperation between medical and dental professionals in the Hiroshima Prefecture to improve cardiovascular health.

“For the next step. We are investigating the specific mechanisms with which P. Gingivalis It affects vaginal cardiomyocytes, “Miyauchi said.” We are also now focusing on the introduction of a collaborative medical and dental system in the Hiroshima prefecture for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, including atrial fibrillation. Our goal is to expand this national initiative in the future. ”

Other co-authors in the study include Miki Kawada-Matsuo and Hitoshi Komatsuzawa from the Department of Bacteriology, Hisako Furusho, Ayako Nakajima, PHAM Trong Phat, Masae Kitagawa, Mutsumi Miyauchi Pathobiology, Ayako Nakajima. The Department of Periodontal Medicine. Hiromi Nishi and Hiryuki Kawaguchi from the Department of General Dentistry, Noboru Oda, Takehito Tokuyama, YouSaku Okubo, Sho Okamura and Yukiko Nakano from the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine and Toru Hiyama from the Department of General Medicine. Hu Collaborative Research Laboratory of Fumie Shiba of the Laboratory of Inflammation of the Oral. and Taiichi Takasaki and Shinya Takahashi from the Department of Surgery of the School of Medicine.