Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37442956›Full record

SynthesisBMC oral health2023

A systematic review of the impact of Porphyromonas gingivalis on foam cell formation: Implications for the role of periodontitis in atherosclerosis.

Saeed Afzoon, Mohammad Amin Amiri, Mostafa Mohebbi, Shahram Hamedani, Nima Farshidfar

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC oral health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.8field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Association ofJournal of clinical medicine · 2026
    Review
  4. Molecular medicine reports · 2026
    Article
  5. Deciphering macrophage molecular responses toFrontiers in microbiology · 2026
    Article
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  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Saeed Afzoon *Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Mohammad Amin Amiri *Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. mamiri1378@yahoo.com.
Mostafa MohebbiStudent Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Shahram HamedaniOral and Dental Disease Research Center, School of Dentistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Nima FarshidfarOrthodontic Research Center, School of Dentistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. n.farshidfar@icloud.com.
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences · IR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe current literature suggests the significant role of foam cells in the initiation of atherosclerosis through the formation of a necrotic core in atherosclerotic plaques. Moreover, an important periodontal pathogen called Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) is indicated to play a significant role in this regard. Thus, the aim of this systematic review was to comprehensively study the pathways by which P. gingivalis as a prominent bacterial species in periodontal disease, can induce foam cells that would initiate the process of atherosclerosis formation.

methodsAn electronic search was undertaken in three databases (Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science) to identify the studies published from January 2000 until March 2023. The risk of bias in each study was also assessed using the QUIN risk of bias assessment tool.

resultsAfter the completion of the screening process, 11 in-vitro studies met the inclusion criteria and were included for further assessments. Nine of these studies represented a medium risk of bias, while the other two had a high risk of bias. All of the studies have reported that P. gingivalis can significantly induce foam cell formation by infecting the macrophages and induction of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) uptake. This process is activated through various mediators and pathways. The most important factors in this regard are the lipopolysaccharide of P. gingivalis and its outer membrane vesicles, as well as the changes in the expression rate of transmembrane lipid transportation channels, including transient receptor potential channel of the vanilloid subfamily 4 (TRPV4), lysosomal integral protein 2 (LIMP2), CD36, etc. The identified molecular pathways involved in this process include but are not limited to NF-κB, ERK1/2, p65.

conclusionBased on the results of this study, it can be concluded that P. gingivalis can effectively promote foam cell formation through various pathogenic elements and this bacterial species can affect the expression rate of various genes and the function of specific receptors in the cellular and lysosomal membranes. However, due to the moderate to high level of risk of bias among the studies, further studies are required in this regard.

Indexed as

AtherosclerosisPeriodontitisFoam CellsHumansMacrophagesPorphyromonas gingivalisAtherosclerosisChronic PeriodontitisFoam cellsPeriodontitisPorphyromonas Gingivalis

Identifiers

PMID37442956
PMCPMC10347812
OpenAlexW4384197630

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.