Introduction: Chronic alcohol consumption exacerbates the progression of periodontitis, the sixth most prevalent global disease affecting over 740 million people, though its underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood.
Objective: The study aims to elucidate the impact and mechanisms of chronic alcohol consumption on periodontitis in rats through integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses.
Methods: Thirty-two male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: control (Ctrl), periodontitis (Perio), alcohol (Alc), and alcohol with periodontitis (Perio+Alc). Chronic alcohol consumption and periodontitis models were established. Periodontal tissue structure was evaluated using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Micro-CT analysis. Transcriptome sequencing and untargeted metabolomics were employed to analyze transcriptomic and metabolic profiles in gingival tissues.
Results: Chronic alcohol consumption significantly aggravated inflammatory infiltration and alveolar bone resorption in periodontal tissues. RNA sequencing identified 2,960 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the Perio+Alc and Perio groups. Metabolomics analysis revealed 611 metabolites in negative ion mode and 812 in positive ion mode. Integrative analysis demonstrated that alcohol exposure primarily influenced periodontal tissues through disruptions in four key pathways: beta-alanine metabolism, Arachidonic acid metabolism, Tryptophan metabolism and Aldosterone synthesis and secretion.
Conclusion: Chronic alcohol consumption exacerbates periodontitis progression. This research elucidates transcriptomic and metabolomic alteration mechanisms, laying the theoretical groundwork for identifying therapeutic targets to mitigate alcohol-aggravated periodontitis.
Keywords: chronic alcohol consumption; metabolomics; micro-CT; periodontitis; transcriptomics.
Copyright © 2026 Zhao, Zhao, Zhai, Sun, Liu and Liu.