慢性牙周炎是心血管疾病的独立危险因素，可大大增加动脉粥样硬化(AS)的患病风险。具核梭杆菌(F. nucleatum)是重要的牙周致病菌之一。已有研究发现F. nucleatum不仅有在内皮宿主细胞内生存、影响内皮细胞的功能，还可诱导外周血单核细胞和中性粒细胞的凋亡。本研究拟在前期研究的基础上，观察F. nucleatum对血管内皮细胞和外周血单核细胞增殖、分化的影响及对AS相关的黏附、趋化、炎症因子的影响，探究 miR-21和F. nucleatum外膜蛋白在其中的作用，并构建ApoE-/-小鼠牙周炎模型进行验证，以系统探究F. nucleatum侵袭对血管内皮细胞和外周血单核细胞的影响和作用机制。研究结果将有助于进一步明确牙周炎与AS的关联机制，并为心血管疾病的预防工作提供新的思路。

Chronic periodontitis, an independent risk factor of cardiovascular disease, could increase the risk of atherosclerosis. F. nucleatum is one of the pathogenic bacteria of chronic periodontitis. Recent studies showed that F. nucleatum was not only able to survive in VECs, affect cellular function of VECs, but could also induce cell death in human lymphocytes. Based on the previous research, we plan to explore the capacity of F. nucleatum to modulate the expressions of adhesion molecules, chemokine, inflammatory factors of HAECs/THP-1 cells and quantification of foam cell formation in vitro and animal experiment. This study is to determine whether F. nucleatum induces factors predisposing to HAECs, THP-1 cells and atherosclerotic lesions in ApoE-/- mice. We also attempt to throw light on the roles of miR-21 and out membrane proteins of F. nucleatum. Aiming to look for molecular evidence of the association between periodontitis and atherosclerosis, we hope that our findings will contribute to the understanding of the etiology of cardiovascular disease and may thus have implications for its prevention and treatment.