2023, Vol. 27 ›› Issue (1): 99-104

Extracellular vesicles in chronic periodontitis

Liu Zhuoran1, Jiang Ming2, Li Yourui1   

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Extracellular vesicles can control the inflammatory response by participating in immunomodulation of intercellular signaling, while also repairing periodontal tissue and promoting periodontal tissue regeneration. The application of this technology to the preventive diagnosis and tissue regeneration of chronic periodontitis is expected to become a method of cell-free tissue regeneration.
OBJECTIVE: To review the synthesis and secretion of extracellular vesicles, biological function, relationship with chronic periodontitis, and recent advances in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of chronic periodontitis.
METHODS: The first author applied the computer to search for relevant studies involving extracellular vesicles in the prevention and treatment of chronic periodontitis in databases such as PubMed, Web of Science and CNKI. The search keywords were “extracellular vesicle, exosome, periodontal disease, immunomodulatory, outermembrane vesicles, bone regeneration” in Chinese and English. The retrieval time was from April 2014 to October 2021.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Extracellular vesicles are balloon-like bodies that can be produced by almost all cells, which are widely present in various body fluids, and are rich in proteins, lipids and genetic material on the surface, which affect the biological behavior of target cells by mediating information transfer between cells. On the one hand, the inflammatory response of chronic periodontitis is inseparable from the mediation of extracellular vesicles secreted by bacteria, which can be used as a biomarker to diagnose and evaluate chronic periodontitis; on the other hand, the new chronic periodontitis vaccine made by extracellular vesicles has initially been effective, and the extracellular vesicles containing information molecules can also participate in regulating the immune response and promoting the repair and regeneration of periodontal tissue. Therefore, in the field of tissue damage repair and regeneration of chronic periodontitis, extracellular vesicles are a new and potential cell-free therapy, but their extraction, purification and safety are still challenges to be overcome before clinical translation.  
Key words: extracellular vesicle, exosome, periodontal disease, immunomodulation, outer membrane vesicle, bone regeneration, review