Evaluating the Potential of Matrix Metalloproteinase As a Diagnostic Biomarker in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Periodontitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of several chronic diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and periodontitis (PD). RA patients with periodontitis (RA-PD) are associated with elevated inflammatory burden due to increased production of proinflammatory cytokines. Controlling upregulated MMPs activity in these patients may have potential therapeutic effects. Therefore, aim of this study is to address the focused question: "Do RA subjects with concurrent PD have different levels of MMPs in comparison to RA alone, PD alone and HC subjects?"

Methods: The systematic review was performed following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A search from 4 electronic databases (EMBASE, Medline, Web of Science, and Cochrane library) and manual search was performed from inception to July 2023. Quality assessment of each article was done using Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Meta-analyses derived results were summarized as standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals.

Results: A total of 879 articles were extracted. Following screening and full text assessment, 9 studies were included. MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-8, MMP-9, and MMP-13 were consistently elevated in RA-PD subjects. MMP-8 levels were found to be higher in RA-PD subjects compared with RA alone, PD alone, and HC in 3 studies reporting GCF levels (SMD = 1.2; Z = 2.07; P = .04) and 2 studies reporting serum levels (SMD = 0.87; Z = 4.53; P < .00001).

Conclusion: RA-PD group showed significantly higher MMP levels in their serum and GCF compared with HC, RA, and PD alone individuals. MMP-8 may serve as a reliable biomarker in the diagnosis and management of RA-PD subjects.