Fatty Acid Profiles in Smokers with Chronic Periodontitis

Summary, in English

We hypothesized that tobacco smoke induces alterations to the 3-OH fatty acids present in lipid A in a manner consistent with a microflora of reduced inflammatory potential. Whole saliva samples and full-mouth clinical periodontal recordings were obtained from persons with (22 smokers; 15 nonsmokers) and without (14 smokers; 15 non-smokers) chronic periodontitis. Clear differences in the contributions of multiple saturated 3-OH fatty acid species were noted in the group with disease compared with healthy individuals. Increases in the long-chain fatty acids associated with anaerobic bacterial periodontopathogens, particularly 3-OH-C-i17.0 (146.7%, relative to controls), were apparent. Significant reductions in the 3-OH fatty acids associated with the consensus (high potency) enteric LPS structure (3-OH-C-12.0 and 3-OH-C-14.0; 33.3% and 15.8% reduction, respectively) were noted in smokers compared with non-smokers with chronic periodontitis. Thus, smoking is associated with specific structural alterations to the lipid-A-derived 3-OH fatty acid profile in saliva that are consistent with an oral microflora of reduced inflammatory potential. These findings provide much-needed mechanistic insight into the established clinical conundrum of increased infection with periodontal pathogens but reduced clinical inflammation in smokers.

• Author: N. Buduneli; Lennart Larsson; B. Biyikoglu; D. E. Renaud; J. Bagaitkar; D. A. Scott
• Department/s: Division of Medical Microbiology
• Publishing year: 2011
• Language: English
• Pages: 47-52
• Publication/Series: Journal of Dental Research
• Volume: 90
• Issue: 1
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022034510380695
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: International & American Associations for Dental Research
• Topic: Dentistry
• Keywords: inflammation; lipid A; lipopolysaccharide; periodontitis; saliva; smoking
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 0022-0345