It turns out that P. gingivalis is a very strong trigger of fibrosis, the dysfunctional over-production of connective tissue. It happens all over the body because there is collagen in many places. I am going to limit myself to the skin for this post, it is a good introduction to the mechanisms, and it has some really amazing practical applications. Results you can see and feel easily.
Keratin is in the upper layer of the skin. Keratinocytes are the main cells in that layer. They grow in orderly flat layers and produce keratin, the hard protein in your hair and nails. As they rise to the surface they lose their insides, flatten and become smooth tough barriers on the outside of your body. This protects the inner tissues from sun, heat, pathogens and water loss.
PG outer membrane (LPS) increases the production of keratinocytes and accelerates their death and desiccation. This creates a thicker layer of keratin on the surface.
Collagen is connective tissue, it is between cells and holds them in place. It is stronger and makes up some semi hard tissues: Ligaments, the end of the nose and end of bones, etc.
Fibroblasts are cells that produce collagen in connective tissue. They also play a role in wound healing.
Dermal fibroblasts live in the middle layer of the skin, the Dermis. Gingival fibroblasts live in the dermal layer of your gums. Chondrocytes are special fibroblasts that make the hard collagen of your joints and ligaments.
If the skin is damaged, it stimulates the fibroblasts to make more collagen. It fills up the wound and forms a scaffold for new cells. That is normal wound repair.
Collagen is destroyed by 2 of the Gingipains produced by P. gingivalis. Collagen in the area of infection will be degraded into fragments which then collect in the matrix.
This damage stimulates the fibroblasts to make more collagen which become more collagen fragments which make the matrix more dense and uneven. This aberrant scarring is usually called Sclerosis.
--------------------
So, when you have these two types of dysfunction- more keratin and disordered collagen- I believe you can manifest these skin conditions:
Scleroderma When this process has progressed a while, the keratin layer becomes thick and hard. It cracks. Infections get in the cracks. They do not heal correctly. In addition, the dermis underneath is inflamed and bumpy.
The keratin layer gets darker. This is usually called "age spots" in the beginning. I live in Arizona, with many other old people, I just thought it was normal here.
The major way this manifests in early stages is WRINKLES. Even small cracks in the skin get covered with collagen and become permanent features of your skin surface.
Reynaud’s- Tight skin with inflammation underneath. Fingers and toes change color in water or when dehydrated.
Fingernail biting and Ingrown Toenails too. It infects the nail beds and they get hard and inflamed.
I’d also put Phimosis into this section.
Rosacea- Red blotches appear on the face. This is what it does on thin skin with little fat underneath. It appears on convex surfaces because that stretches the top layer. It weakens the surface and breaks the capillaries.
I find this occurs most on the cheekbones where the tooth roots are…
Rhinophyma- also known as Alcoholic’s Nose. The end of the nose is made up of 6 pieces of semi-hard collagen. It is also very close to the primary source of P. gingivalis. It clearly takes a toll. This can get so bad it becomes cancerous.
I have had this condition since I was five and got a 3rd degree sunburn on my face. I always had a swollen, bumpy, red nose. Long before I became an alcoholic…
This would also explain the incredibly deep wrinkles and uneven scarring that has developed over time over my upper lip.
Trichotillomania is compulsive hair pulling. Similar to nail biting (hair and nails are made of keratin), I think this is caused by dysfunction around the hair follicles (not mental illness!!!).
There are many consequences of this in the mouth. Destruction of the gums, obviously. But Lichen Planus keeps coming up in my research too. Weird tongue and esophagus manifestations seem likely, but I haven’t looked for more yet.
Topically applied Curcumin curtails much of this activity.
It keeps the PG from attaching and infecting the cells.
It prevents the gingipains from cleaving the collagen.
It suppresses the overproduction of keratin and collagen during healing.
It's antimicrobial properties also suppress many other germs that may infiltrate your damaged skin.
Lab Notes:
I have been using ordinary Turmeric/Curcumin soap and cream. They seem very effective, even without the special nano-particles and bioavailability enhancers that are advertised everywhere.
I use the cream on my face and it is much less red and blotchy. It’s not as puffy either. I like that.
It softened the scar on my cheek and smoothed it out quite a bit.
I am especially in love with the soap. My toes weren’t discolored after the first shower. I don’t know how. I wash my feet with it a lot now. They are healing.
It gently removes the excess keratin from the surface. I exfoliated right away. The crusty layer just softened and rubbed off. I have way less freckles than I thought I did...
It soothes the inflammation. I lost a shoe size in two weeks. My fingers look a lot less like sausages. My wrists aren’t puffy anymore.
It fights some of the other germs that get in your skin. It healed many of my small sores and abrasions without scarring. Papilloma virus, for one. I think that one may be a participant in Psoriasis, it causes the keratinocytes to grow in patches rather than orderly sheets.
The psoriasis on my wrist is 90% clear on the surface, but I feel there is a source deeper in the tissues. It’s still inflamed underneath. Maybe it’s another microbe. Maybe it’s my old fractured radius. It’s still a bit of a mystery, but so much better that I’m not complaining.
My fingernails are freaking me out. ( I have had nasty fingernails way longer than I had Alzheimer’s.) They haven’t broken at all. Even while painting, cleaning, and tiling a floor!!! That's Unprecedented. I have to keep them short because they’ve started hitting my keyboard and it’s too weird.
Before I started using the cream and soap, the tip of my index finger would get so hard that my phone would not recognize it as living tissue.
Every single day is surprising. It's amazing how much having soft skin improves your mood...
I’ll try to get to all the internal manifestation of this process sometime. I am doing nose spray experiments now. Just be aware that all the organs have wrappers of collagen and most of them have large networks of it as scaffolding and support for their cells.
Lung fibrosis. Coronary fibrosis. Intestinal fibrosis. Kidney fibrosis. Liver fibrosis. Those gingipains manage to get everywhere.
Not to mention, the interstitium is mostly made of collagen. Interstitial fibrosis is a big deal. That research is going to be interesting.
If you have any of those conditions, make sure you ingest some curcumin, and heal your mouth and intestines.
And of course, this explains the first symptoms of arthritis. If the collagen dysfunction goes on long enough in the joints, the citrullinated proteins accumlate to the point they cause an immune reaction as well.
References:
P.
gingivalis modulates keratinocytes through FOXO transcription factors.
Invasion of Porphyromonas gingivalis into human gingival
fibroblasts in vitro
Porphyromonas gingivalis downregulates the immune response of fibroblasts
Dermatological effects of Curcuma species: a systematic review
Curcumin Improves Keratinocyte Proliferation, Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress ,,,
