Metabolomics identifies biomarkers for periodontitis and gingivitis

Metabolon, Inc., the leader in metabolomics-driven biomarker discovery and analysis, today announced a new study has been published identifying biomarkers for periodontitis and gingivitis. Co-authored by scientists at Colgate-Palmolive, The Forsyth Institute and Metabolon, the paper, “Acceleration of Purine Degradation Pathway by Periodontal Disease”, appears in the Journal of Dental Research (Volume 88, No. 9, 851-855 (September 2009)).

Using Metabolon’s biochemical profiling technology, mechanistically-linked biomarkers were discovered and validated from the crevicular fluid of patients suffering from periodontitis and gingivitis. Several hundred biochemicals were identified in a few microliters of the crevicular fluid found between the tooth and gums. The biomarkers suggest that the diseases are mediated by enhanced purine degradation, a biochemical pathway associated with reactive oxygen species production and cellular inflammation.