Expression of Hormonal Receptors (FSHR, ER-α, and PR) in Women with Pregnancy-Associated Periodontal Disease: A Molecular PCR-Based Study
Downloads
Background: The response of gingival tissues and the susceptibility to inflammation are THUS1170 EX8524 MODERATED BY HORMONAL CHANGES. Detection of hormonal receptor (follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), and progesterone receptor (PR) genes in gingival tissues could be a crucial factor in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. Objective To investigate molecular detection of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), estrogen receptor alpha (ER-α), and progesterone receptor (PR) genes among pregnant women with and without periodontal disease and compared to healthy non-pregnant women.
Methodology: Gingival tissue samples were collected from three study groups: pregnant women with periodontal disease, healthy pregnant women, and non-pregnant control women. The presence of FSHR, ERα, and PR genes was analyzed using conventional PCR.
Results: Altered detection patterns of hormonal receptors were observed in pregnant women with periodontal disease. Increased detection rates of ERα and PR were associated with higher inflammatory status, whereas FSHR detection demonstrated variable patterns among the studied groups.
Conclusion: Pregnancy-associated periodontal disease is linked to differential detection of sex hormone receptors in gingival tissues. These molecular alterations may contribute to increased susceptibility to inflammation and periodontal tissue breakdown during pregnancy.
1. Agarwal, A., Aponte-Mellado, A., Premkumar, B. J., Shaman, A., & Gupta, S. (2012). The effects of oxidative stress on female reproduction: A review. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology, 10, 49.
2. Akalın, F. A., Baltacıoğlu, E., Alver, A., & Karabulut, E. (2009). Total antioxidant capacity and superoxide dismutase activity levels in pregnant women with chronic periodontitis. Journal of Periodontology, 80(3), 457–467.
3. Al-Sherbini, M. M., Al-Zahrani, M. S., Alrefaie, Z. A., Amin, H. A., & Zawawi, K. H. (2014). Estrogen deficiency reduces estrogen receptor-beta in Wistar rats periodontium. Saudi Medical Journal, 35(3), 242–247
4. Bhardwaj, A., & Bhardwaj, S. V. (2012). Effect of androgens, estrogens and progesterone on periodontal tissues. Journal of Orofacial Research, 2(3), 165–170.
5. Burton, G. J., & Jauniaux, E. (2011). Oxidative stress. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 25(3), 287–299.
6. Chapple, I. L. (2006). Oxidative stress, nutrition and neutrogenomics in periodontal health and disease. International Journal of Dental Hygiene, 4(3), 131–138.
7. Chapple, I. L., & Matthews, J. B. (2007). The role of reactive oxygen and antioxidant species in periodontal tissue destruction. Periodontology 2000, 43(1), 17–32.
8. Chen, H., Fang, H. Q., Liu, J. T., Chang, S. Y., Cheng, L. B., Sun, M. X., Feng, J. R., Liu, Z. M., Zhang, Y. H., Rosen, C. J., & Liu, P. (2025). Atlas of FSHR expression from novel reporter mice. eLife, 13, RP93413.
9. Chrusciel, M., Ponikwicka-Tyszko, D., Wolczynski, S., Huhtaniemi, I., & Rahman, N. A. (2019). Extragonadal FSHR expression and function: Is it real? Frontiers in Endocrinology, 10, 32.
10. Gilliver, S. C. (2010). Sex steroids as inflammatory regulators. The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 120(2–3), 105–115.
11. Hewitt, S. C., & Korach, K. S. (2002). Estrogen receptors: Structure, mechanisms and function. Reviews in Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders, 3(3), 193–200.
12. Ishihara, O., Hayashi, M., Osawa, H., Kobayashi, K., Takeda, S., Vessby, B., & Basu, S. (2004). Isoprostanes, prostaglandins and tocopherols in pre-eclampsia, normal pregnancy and non-pregnancy. Free Radical Research, 38(9), 913–918.
13. Jawed, S. T. M., & Jawed, K. T. K. (2025). Understanding the link between hormonal changes and gingival health in women: A review. Cureus, 17(6), e85270.
14. Kovats, S. (2015). Estrogen receptors regulate innate immune cells and signaling pathways. Cellular Immunology, 294(2), 63–69.
15. Kshirsagar, J. T., & Balamurugan, A. (2018). Role of sex hormones in periodontium during pregnancy: A review. International Journal of Applied Dental Sciences, 4(4), 168–173.
16. Lee, Y., Sooranna, S. R., Terzidou, V., Christian, M., Brosens, J., Huhtinen, K., Poutanen, M., Barton, G., Johnson, M. R., & Bennett, P. R. (2012). Interactions between inflammatory signals and the progesterone receptor in regulating gene expression in pregnant human uterine myocytes. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, 16(10), 2487–2503.
17. Liu, S., Cheng, Y., Fan, M., Chen, D., & Bian, Z. (2010). FSH aggravates periodontitis-related bone loss in ovariectomized rats. Journal of Dental Research, 89(4), 366–371.
18. Massoni, R. S. D. S., Aranha, A. M. F., Matos, F. Z., Guedes, O. A., Borges, Á. H., Miotto, M., & Porto, A. N. (2019). Correlation of periodontal and microbiological evaluations with serum levels of estradiol and progesterone during different trimesters of gestation. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 11762.
19. Mohideen, K., Chandrasekaran, K., Veeraraghavan, H., Faizee, S. H., Dhungel, S., & Ghosh, S. (2023). Meta-analysis of assessment of total oxidative stress and total antioxidant capacity in patients with periodontitis. Disease Markers, 2023(1), 9949047.
20. Myatt, L., & Cui, X. (2004). Oxidative stress in the placenta. Histochemistry and Cell Biology, 122(4), 369–382.
21. Obeagu, E. I., & Obeagu, G. U. (2024). Antioxidant supplementation in pregnancy: Effects on maternal and infant health. Elite Journal of Medicine, 2(1), 23–34.
22. Peruga, M., Piwnik, J., & Lis, J. (2023). The impact of progesterone and estrogen on tooth mobility. Medicina, 59(2), 258.
23. Peters, G. A., Yi, L., Skomorovska-Prokvolit, Y., Patel, B., Amini, P., Tan, H., & Mesiano, S. (2017). Inflammatory stimuli increase progesterone receptor-A stability and transrepressive activity in myometrial cells. Endocrinology, 158(1), 158–169.
24. Poniedziałek-Czajkowska, E., & Mierzyński, R. (2021). Could vitamin D be effective in prevention of preeclampsia? Nutrients, 13(11), 3854.
25. Ramamurthy, J. (2015). Role of estrogen and progesterone in the periodontium. Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences, 6(4), 1540–1547.
26. Sathish, A. K., Varghese, J., & Fernandes, A. J. (2022). The impact of sex hormones on the periodontium during a woman’s lifetime: A concise review update. Current Oral Health Reports, 9(4), 146–156.
27. Sies, H., Berndt, C., & Jones, D. P. (2017). Oxidative stress. Annual Review of Biochemistry, 86(1), 715–748.
28. Singh, P., Dev, Y. P., & Kaushal, S. (2013). Progesterone supplementation—Beware of changes in the oral cavity. Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences, 6(2), 165-167.
29. Smith, J., & Johnson, M. (2022). Hormonal changes during pregnancy: Implications on receptor expression. Reproductive Biology Today, 10(1), 45–51.
30. Stilley, J. A., & Segaloff, D. L. (2018). FSH actions and pregnancy: Looking beyond ovarian FSH receptors. Endocrinology, 159(12), 4033–4042.
31. Straub, R. H. (2007). The complex role of estrogens in inflammation. Endocrine Reviews, 28(5), 521–574.
32. Tóthová, L. U., & Celec, P. (2017). Oxidative stress and antioxidants in the diagnosis and therapy of periodontitis. Frontiers in Physiology, 8, 1055.
33. Zilaitiene, B., Dirzauskas, M., Verkauskiene, R., Ostrauskas, R., Gromoll, J., & Nieschlag, E. (2018). The impact of FSH receptor polymorphism on time-to-pregnancy: A cross-sectional single-centre study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 18, 272.

