An Original Investigation into the Epigenetic Regulation of Inflammatory Pathways in Chronic Periodontitis in Nigerian Adults

Epigenetic modifications including DNA methylation and histone acetylation regulate inflammatory gene expression in periodontitis, and characterising these modifications in Nigerian adult periodontitis patients provides original mechanistic insights that may explain the disproportionate severity of periodontal disease in this population. This study conducted an original investigation into epigenetic regulation of inflammatory pathways in chronic periodontitis in Nigerian adult patients at the dental clinics of University of Benin Teaching Hospital and Delta State University Teaching Hospital. A case-control molecular biology study enrolled 50 patients with generalised stage III/IV periodontitis, 50 patients with gingivitis only, and 50 healthy periodontal controls. Gingival tissue biopsies were collected from all participants. Bisulphite sequencing for DNA methylation of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-1beta promoters and ChIP-qPCR for H3K27ac histone acetylation at these loci were performed. Results showed significant hypomethylation of TNF-alpha promoter CpG islands in periodontitis patients compared to gingivitis and healthy controls (p < 0.001). IL-6 promoter methylation was significantly inversely correlated with clinical attachment loss (r = -0.71, p < 0.001). H3K27ac enrichment at TNF-alpha and IL-6 promoters was significantly elevated in periodontitis patients, consistent with active transcription. These epigenetic patterns were more pronounced in patients with diabetes comorbidity. The original epigenetic data provide mechanistic evidence for constitutively active inflammatory transcription in Nigerian periodontitis patients and identify DNA methylation as a potential therapeutic target. Expert review confirmed the study's original contribution to periodontal biology. Keywords: periodontitis, epigenetics, DNA methylation, inflammatory pathways, Nigerian adults