A pilot study on the expression of circadian clock genes in the alveolar bone of mice with periodontitis

This study aimed to investigate the expression of circadian clock genes in mouse alveolar bone, and the possible reasons for these changes. Fifty C57 mice were orally inoculated with P. gingivalis, establishing a model of periodontitis using healthy mice as controls. The alveolar bone of both groups was taken for micro-computed tomography scanning to measure the amount of attachment loss, and the relative expression of mRNA in each clock gene and periodontitis related inflammatory factor was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). After the establishment of the mouse model, the height of alveolar bone in the periodontitis group was significantly lower than that in the normal group (p < 0.05). The relative transcriptional level of Bmal1, Per2, and Cry1 mRNA was in the circadian rhythm in the normal group (p ≤ 0.05), while in the periodontitis group, its circadian rhythm disappeared and the transcriptional level characteristics were changed. Interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interferon (IFN-γ) mRNA transcriptional level were elevated in the periodontitis group compared to the normal group. In conclusion, the mRNA transcriptional level of Bmal1, Per2, and Cry1 in alveolar bone of normal mice has circadian rhythm, but the rhythm disappears under the condition of periodontitis, and the cause of its occurrence may be related to inflammatory cytokines.