CXCL8 and periodontitis: Streptococcus sanguinis demonstrates its role through several mechanisms: (1) its pili protein PilC can bind to α-amylase in saliva and promote the formation of biofilm; (2) it may stimulate gingival epithelial cells to produce IL-8 and β-defensins, which may protect the tissue from periodontitis-associated pathogens; and (3) it elicits weaker host immune responses compared to Porphyromonas gingivalis or Fusobacterium nucleatum, which may be one of the mechanisms that benefit the host (Zhu et al., 2018; São-José et al., 2022).