Host-Oral Pathogens Interaction: Molecular Mechanisms, Immune Dysregulation and Disease Severity

Oral microbiology and immunopathology have become increasingly important for understanding the delicate equilibrium between the human host and its oral microbiota. Oral pathogens such as Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Treponema denticola adopt intricate mechanisms that balance colonization with host tolerance, maintaining a fine line between health and disease. Recent evidence shows that this relationship extends beyond oral boundaries, contributing to systemic inflammatory conditions including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders. Despite rapid methodological advances in genomic, proteomic, and immunological profiling, a comprehensive understanding of how oral pathogens trigger immune dysregulation and tissue destruction remains incomplete. Debates continue around specific molecular effectors, host receptors, and signaling cascades that initiate pathogenic transitions from commensalism to virulence. This research field demands deeper exploration into the molecular and immunological mechanisms that govern host susceptibility, microbial virulence, and dysbiosis-induced chronic inflammation.This Research Topic aims to illuminate the molecular basis of host–oral pathogen interactions with a focus on immune regulation, microbial virulence, and host signaling dynamics that determine disease outcomes. It seeks to uncover how oral pathogens manipulate host immune responses and cellular signaling to evade clearance and persist within host niches. The objective is to connect molecular mechanisms with pathological consequences, addressing questions such as: how do virulence factors alter epithelial and immune cell signaling? What mechanisms drive immune dysregulation during chronic infection? How do oxidative stress, genotoxicity, and biofilm formation integrate into disease progression? By addressing these questions, contributors will advance our understanding of the pathogenesis of oral infectious diseases and inform novel therapeutic strategies that target these interactions to mitigate disease severity.To gather further insights into the molecular and immunological bases of oral disease progression, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Oral pathogen adhesion, invasion, and intracellular survival mechanismso Microbial dysbiosis and ecological shifts in oral microbiotao Molecular pathogenesis and virulence determinants of oral pathogenso Regulation of signaling networks in epithelial and immune cellso Innate and adaptive immune modulation in oral infectionso Genotoxic and oxidative effects driving tissue destructiono Biofilm formation and host–microbe communicationo Systemic implications of chronic oral infectionso Novel antimicrobial or immunomodulatory therapeutic approacheso Innovative in vitro and in vivo experimental models of oral infection Topic editors: Katarzyna Gawron, Maria Chomyszyn-Gajewska Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83605/host-oral-pathogens-interaction-molecular-mechanisms-immune-dysregulation-and-disease-severity