ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Dent. Med.
Sec. Periodontics
Gene and Protein Profiling of Dickkopf-3 and Complement Factor H in Periodontitis and Coronary Artery Disease
Provisionally accepted
- 1Professor and Head, Department of Periodontics, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College and Hospital,, Chennai, Tamil Nadu,, India
- 2Post Graduate student, Department of Periodontics, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College and Hospital,, Chennai, Tamil Nadu,, India
- 3Department of Clinical Sciences, Center of Medical and Bio-allied Health Sciences and Research, College of Dentistry, Ajman University,, Ajman,, United Arab Emirates
- 4Professor and Head, Department of Cardiology, Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital,, Chennai, India
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Word count: 193 Background: This study aimed to evaluate and compare demographic, periodontal and cardiac parameters, Dickkopf-3 (rs11544817) and Complement Factor H (rs10737680) protein levels and gene expression in patients with periodontitis with and without coronary artery disease (CAD) at baseline and following non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT). Methods: A total of 140 participants were divided into four groups (n=35 each): Group H– healthy individuals; Group P – periodontitis patients without systemic conditions; Group CAD – systemically compromised (CAD) but periodontally healthy individuals; Group P+CAD – patients with both periodontitis and CAD. Baseline assessments included demographic details, periodontal and cardiac parameters and protein/gene analysis from subgingival plaque and gingival tissue. NSPT was performed and reassessments were done after 90 days. Results: Group P+CAD showed higher age, weight, BMI and lower socio-economic status. Periodontal and cardiac parameters improved after NSPT. DKK-3 levels decreased and CFH levels increased post-treatment. Both proteins strongly correlated with gene expression, independent of confounders. Regression analysis confirmed their significant association with periodontitis and CAD risk. Conclusion: The study found elevated DKK-3 (rs11544817) and reduced CFH (rs10737680) protein levels and gene expression in periodontitis patients with CAD, suggesting that these genes regulate their respective proteins.
Keywords: Coronary Artery Disease, Periodontitis, Molecular Biology, periodontal medicine, Dickkopf-3, Complement Factor H
Received: 06 Aug 2025; Accepted: 28 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mahendra, Maharavi, Natarajan and Arumugam. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Jaideep Mahendra, jaideep_m_23@yahoo.co.in
Prabhu Manickam Natarajan, prabhuperio@gmail.com
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