Untargeted Metabolomic and Lipidomic Profiles of Gingival Crevicular Fluid in the Context of Periodontitis

AIM(S): This cross-sectional clinical study aimed to explore the untargeted metabolomic and lipidomic profiles in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) obtained from healthy individuals and patients with periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: GCF was collected from 17 periodontally healthy and 19 periodontitis patients. For the unbiased characterisation of positively and negatively charged polar metabolite and lipid compounds, we employed hydrophilic interaction and reversed-phase liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry platforms, followed by a semisupervised deep learning-based approach for metabolomic peak curation and data analysis. RESULTS: -transformed Fold Change (FC)| > 1). Periodontitis samples exhibited a significant positive accumulation of purine degradation and ceramide metabolites, along with a negative regulation of oxy fatty acids metabolism. Additionally, we observed a significant increase in established periodontitis biomarkers, including N-acetylneuraminic acid, citrulline and 2-pyrrolidineacetic acid. The study also characterised distinct differences in bacterial and fungal metabolite profiles between the healthy and diseased samples. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that untargeted metabolomic screening of GCF may significantly improve our understanding of biochemical changes between healthy tissue and periodontitis. This knowledge is pivotal for the development of a precision paradigm in periodontitis.