Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025:1472:225-242.
doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-79146-8_14.

Hormonal Environment Shapes the Oral Microbiome

Maria J Rus  1 , Carlos Sauco Carballo  2 , Flávio Duarte Faria  3 , Aurea Simon-Soro  4
Affiliations
Review

Hormonal Environment Shapes the Oral Microbiome

Maria J Rus et al. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2025.

Abstract

Hormones are present in oral fluids and undergo dynamic changes throughout life. Hormonal changes can influence the interactions between the microbial community and the host. The oral microbiome is sensitive to changes in the oral environment, and hormonal fluctuations can create conditions that favour the growth of certain types of bacteria over others. Since the gingival niche harbours the resident microbial community in the biofilm form, while saliva has a transient microbiota in the planktonic form, both could modulate the host-microbial interaction under hormonal oscillations.The microbiome and hormones have a dynamic bidirectional interaction. Specific oral microorganisms can metabolize steroid hormones, disrupting their host regulation. Hormones can serve as host-microbial crosstalk related to health and disease. Hormonal imbalances are associated with systemic diseases such as polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, cortisol-related conditions and oral cancer. Elucidating the complex relationship between steroid hormones and the oral microbiome offers valuable insights into the mechanisms of the disease and potential therapeutic avenues for maintaining oral and systemic health.

Keywords: Hormone; Microbial niches; Microbiome; Oestrobolome; Oral microbiome; Steroid hormones.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Achu Joseph R, Ajitkumar S, Subbusamy Kanakasabapathy B, Santhanakrishnan M (2023) Evaluation of microbial profile in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome and periodontal disease: a case-control study. Int J fertil Steril [Internet] 17(4) [cited 2024 May 1]. https://doi.org/10.22074/ijfs.2023.550187.1272
    1. Adriaens LM, Alessandri R, Spörri S, Lang NP, Persson GR (2009) Does pregnancy have an impact on the subgingival microbiota? J Periodontol 80(1):72–81 - PubMed
    1. Agha-Hosseini F, Mirzaii-Dizgah I, Mansourian A, Khayamzadeh M (2009) Relationship of stimulated saliva 17β-estradiol and oral dryness feeling in menopause. Maturitas 62(2):197–199 - PubMed
    1. Akcalı A, Huck O, Buduneli N, Davideau JL, Köse T, Tenenbaum H (2014a) Exposure of Porphyromonas gingivalis to cortisol increases bacterial growth. Arch Oral Biol 59(1):30–34 - PubMed
    1. Akcalı A, Bostanci N, Özçaka Ö, Öztürk-Ceyhan B, Gümüş P, Buduneli N et al (2014b) Association between polycystic ovary syndrome, oral microbiota and systemic antibody responses. Abrams WR, editor. PLoS One 9(9):e108074 - PubMed - PMC

LinkOut - more resources