Diabetes is a risk factor for periodontitis, an inflammatory bone disorder and the greatest cause of tooth loss in adults. Diabetes has a significant impact on the gut microbiota; however, studies in the oral cavity have been inconclusive. By 16S rRNA sequencing, we show here that diabetes causes a shift in oral bacterial composition and, by transfer to germ-free mice, that the oral microbiota of diabetic mice is more pathogenic. Furthermore, treatment with IL-17 antibody decreases the pathogenicity of the oral microbiota in diabetic mice; when transferred to recipient germ-free mice, oral microbiota from IL-17-treated donors induced reduced neutrophil recruitment, reduced IL-6 and RANKL, and less bone resorption. Thus, diabetes-enhanced IL-17 alters the oral microbiota and renders it more pathogenic. Our findings provide a mechanistic basis to better understand how diabetes can increase the risk and severity of tooth loss.

糖尿病是成人牙周炎，发炎性骨疾病和牙齿脱落的最大原因的危险因素。糖尿病对肠道菌群有重要影响。然而，在口腔方面的研究尚无定论。通过16S rRNA测序，我们在这里显示糖尿病会导致口腔细菌组成发生变化，并且通过转移给无菌小鼠，糖尿病小鼠的口腔微生物群更具致病性。此外，用IL-17抗体治疗可降低糖尿病小鼠口腔微生物的致病性。当转移到受体无菌小鼠中时，来自接受IL-17治疗的供体的口腔菌群可诱导中性粒细胞募集减少，IL-6和RANKL降低以及骨吸收减少。因此，增强糖尿病的IL-17改变了口腔微生物群，并使其更具致病性。