The objective of this study was to investigate the
salivary proteins that are associated with
periodontitis in patients with
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Volunteers for the study were patients from the Diabetic Unit, University of Malaya Medical Centre, whose periodontal status was determined. The diabetic volunteers were divided into two groups, i.e., patients with
periodontitis and those who were periodontally healthy. Saliva samples were collected and treated with 10% TCA/
acetone/20 mM DTT to precipitate the
proteins, which were then separated using two-dimensional
polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Gel images were scanned using the GS-800(TM) Calibrated Densitometer. The
protein spots were analyzed and expressed in percentage volumes. The percentage volume of each
protein spot was subjected to Mann-Whitney statistical analysis using SPSS software and false discovery rate correction. When the expression of the
salivary proteins was compared between the T2DM patients with
periodontitis with those who were periodontally healthy, seven
proteins, including
polymeric immunoglobulin receptor, plastin-2,
actin related protein 3,
leukocyte elastase inhibitor,
carbonic anhydrases 6,
immunoglobulin J and
interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, were found to be differentially expressed (p < 0.01304). This implies that the
proteins may have the potential to be used as
biomarkers for the prediction of T2DM patients who may be prone to
periodontitis.