Analysis of the salivary proteomic profile of pregnant women with and without gingivitis by Tandem Mass Spectrometry (nLC-ESI-MS/MS)

• Grant number: 23/14473-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Pediatric Dentistry
• Principal Investigator: Gerson Aparecido Foratori Junior
• Grantee: Clovis Bergamin Griso
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru (FOB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Faced with physiological, immunological, and hormonal changes during pregnancy, especially high levels of estrogen and progesterone, women become more susceptible to inflammation in periodontal tissues. Gingivitis is the initial stage of inflammation of periodontal tissues due to the accumulation of dental biofilm. In order to identify the pathophysiological mechanisms of gingivitis during pregnancy, this project aims to evaluate the salivary proteomic profile of pregnant women with and without gingivitis using Tandem Mass Spectrometry (nLC-ESI-MS/MS). The sample will be recruited, consecutively, from the Primary health care of Bauru-SP, and pregnant women will be divided into 2 groups: with an excessive prevalence of gingival bleeding on probing (BOP > 50%; G1 = 10); and without gingivitis (BOP < 10%; G2 = 10). Participants will be matched by age and socioeconomic status. Grouping method will be based on the full-mouth periodontal examination and the most current classification of gingivitis will be adopted. Unstimulated saliva samples will be collected. For proteomics, saliva samples will be evaluated individually and processed by Mass Spectrometry (Nano Liquid Chromatography Electron Spray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry - nLC-ESI-MS/MS). The difference in expression between groups will be expressed as p < 0.05 for downregulated proteins, and 1-p > 0.95 for upregulated proteins. Protein categories will be based on Gene Ontology (GO) for biological process, molecular function, immune system, and cellular component, using ClueGo® plugins from Cytoscape® 3.8.2 software. For the analysis of covariates, in the case of quantitative variables, normality will first be tested using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Comparison between groups for quantitative variables with normal distribution will be performed using the t test. Comparison between groups for quantitative variables without normal distribution and for ordinal qualitative variables will be performed using the Mann-Whitney test. Comparison between groups for nominal qualitative variables will be carried out using the Chi-square test. A significance level of 5% will be adopted. The relevance of this work is based on the innovative aspect, considering both the analysis methods adopted and the potential to ensure greater understanding of the outcomes for the adoption of preventive strategies in dental prenatal care.