Immunomodulatory effects of oral microbiota in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #oral microbiota
- #periodontitis
- #rheumatoid arthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease with multifactorial pathogenesis involving genetic and environmental factors.
- Oral microbiota dysbiosis is linked to RA, potentially triggering systemic autoimmune responses through virulence factors like peptidylarginine deiminase and leukotoxin A.
- Specific bacterial products promote protein citrullination and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies, leading to immune tolerance loss in susceptible individuals.
- RA and periodontitis share inflammatory pathways, with mechanisms including bacteremia, systemic bacterial product dissemination, and gut colonization by oral microbiota.
- Periodontal therapy may reduce systemic inflammation and improve RA activity, though results are inconsistent.
- The review highlights microbially induced citrullination, host genetic susceptibility, and common inflammatory pathways in RA pathogenesis.
- Integrated therapeutic strategies targeting oral microbial dysbiosis could complement conventional RA treatments.