Work

Extracellular Vesicles in Periodontitis: Bidirectional Crosstalk Between Periodontal Inflammation and Systemic Diseases

Year: 2026

Type: review

Abstract: : Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to the destruction of tooth supporting tissues, including gingival inflammation, periodontal attachment loss, and alveolar bone resorption. Increasing evidence suggests that periodontitis also increases susceptibility to a range of systemic conditions and there is a reciprocal communication between the periodontum and systemic organs. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), as key mediators of intercellular communication, can transport proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids across biological barriers and may play an important role in this crosstalk. In this review, we synthesize current evidence for the involvement of EVs in communication between periodontitis and distant organs. Compared with previous reviews that mainly focus on Porphyromonas gingivalis EVs or one-way effects, we synthesize evidence across multiple EV sources (bacterial, host periodontal, and circulating biofluid EVs) and explicitly review both directions of signaling. At present, the evidence is considerably stronger for periodontal-to-systemic EV effects, particularly in endothelial dysfunction, metabolic reprogramming, osteoclastogenic signaling, and barrier disruption in distant organs, whereas the evidence of systemic EVs on periodontitis remains limited, fragmented, and largely preclinical. This marked imbalance identifies the systemic-to-oral EV pathway as a major knowledge gap in the field. Further studies are needed to define the sources, cargoes, and functional significance of EVs in oral-systemic crosstalk and to clarify their translational potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Keywords: extracellular vesicles, periodontitis, inter-organ communication, systemic disease, therapeutic potential

Source: International Journal of Nanomedicine

DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s646323

Authors: Renfei Qu, Fei Wang

Institutions: Qingdao Municipal Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Shandong University

Language: English

Topic: Extracellular vesicles in disease

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,836