Identification of Key Genes Involved in Lactic Acid Metabolism in Periodontitis Based on Bioinformatics Analysis

Lactic acid metabolism correlates with periodontitis progression. Using machine learning (LASSO and SVM-RFE) on GSE16134 and GSE173078 datasets, CFI and COQ2 were identified as key genes, with good diagnostic performance (AUC > 0.75). GSEA linked these genes to MAPK signalling, endocytosis, and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. Immune infiltration analysis revealed higher plasma cells and lower CD8 T cells in periodontitis. Molecular docking identified amiodarone as a potential compound with strong binding affinity to CFI and COQ2. The expression trends of CFI (upregulated) and COQ2 (downregulated) were first confirmed in TNF-α/IL-1β-stimulated human periodontal ligament cells and further validated in a rat ligature-induced periodontitis model. These findings suggest that CFI and COQ2 are potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for periodontitis.