Comparative miRNA expression profiles in individuals with chronic or aggressive periodontitis

The present study aimed to compare the miRNA expression profile in individuals with chronic (CP) and aggressive (AP) periodontitis. Eighteen non-smokers individuals (CP = 9 and AP = 9) without any history of systemic diseases or previous periodontal therapy were selected at the Clinics of Periodontology from the Federal University of Minas Gerais. Gingival tissue samples were collected during the initial periodontal therapy. miRNAs were isolated and expression patterns of 754 miRNAs were assessed with a quantitative miRNA PCR array. miRNAs expression profiles were compared between CP and AP groups. No differences were observed in the miRNAs expression profiles between CP and AP groups (p>0.05). According to miRNA microarray analyses, the most expressed miRNAs in both groups were hsa-miR-1274b, hsa-let-7b, hsa-miR-24, hsa-miR-19b, hsa-miR-720, hsa-miR-126, hsa-miR-17 and hsa-miR-21. Findings suggested that there were no differences in miRNAs expression profiles between chronic and aggressive forms of periodontitis. The overexperssion of especific miRNAs could provide insights on the pathogenesis of both forms of the disease. The present investigation was an observational cross sectional study and STROBE guidelines were followed when appropriate. Participants were selected at the Clinics of Periodontology from the School of Dentistry, Federal University of Minas Gerais. During the period of data collection, from July/2015 to March/2016, ~230 individuals sought periodontal care in the unit of the study and were determined to be eligible