This is the author manuscript accepted for publication and has undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1002/JPER.18-0466. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Dysregulation Of miR-146a by Periodontal Pathogens: a risk for Acute Coronary Syndrome Bagavad Gita, J *# , Ann V George # , Pavithra, N * , Chandrasekaran, S. C#, Latchumanadhas, K † , and A. Gnanamani * * Microbiology Division, Biological Materials Laboratory, CSIR-CLRI, Adyar, Chennai 600 020, India #Sree Balaji Dental College and Hospital, Pallikaranai, Chennai 600 100, India † Madras Medical Mission, Mogappair, Chennai 600 037, India *- Author for correspondence Dr. A. Gnanamani, Principal scientist, Microbiology Division CSIR-CLRI, Adyar, Chennai 20 Tamil Nadu, India Email: gnanamani3@gmail.com ORCID No: Keywords: Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS); Chronic periodontitis (CP); miR-146a; chronic inflammation; P.gingivalis; immune subversion Word count: 3624; Number of Figures: 4; Number of Tables: 2; Number of References: 37 Running title- miR-146a dysregulation in periodontitis and Acute Coronary Syndrome One-line summary: microRNA-146a is a key molecule associating periodontitis with acute coronary syndrome