Anti-Inflammatory Potential of Complex Extracts of Ligularia stenocephala Matsum. & Koidz. and Secale cereale L. Sprout in Chronic Gingivitis: In Vitro Investigation and Randomized Clinical Trial.

Complex extracts of Ligularia stenocephala Matsum. & Koidz. (LSE) and Secale cereale L. sprout (SCSE) (TEES-10®) were prepared. The purposes of the study were to evaluate anti-inflammatory activities of TEES-10® in vitro and to observe resolution of gingivitis in human with oral administration of TEES-10®. The effects of TEES-10® on normal periodontal ligament (PDL) cell viability, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced PDL cell viability and the changes of inflammatory mediator expression were evaluated in vitro. In the clinical trial, 150 mg of TEES-10® powder containing capsule was administered twice daily to the test group, while the control group administered placebos in a total 100 participants with gingivitis. Probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP), clinical attachment loss, gingival index (GI) and plaque index (PI) were measured at baseline and 4 weeks. Administering TEES-10® showed significant increase in PDL cell viability compared to administering LSE or SCSE alone. In addition, treating TEES-10® to LPS induced PDL cell significantly increased PDL cell viability compared to control. TEES-10® suppressed expression of NF-κB, p-ERK, ERK, COX-2, c-Fos and p-STAT and promoted expression of PPARγ in LPS induced PDL cells. In the clinical trial, significant improvement of GI and BOP was observed in the test group at 4 weeks. In addition, the number of patients diagnosed with gingivitis was significantly reduced in the test group at 4 weeks. Salivary MMP-8 and MMP-9 was also significantly decreased compared to placebo group. Within the limitations of this study, the TEES-10® would have an anti-inflammatory potential clinically in the chronic gingivitis patients.

Diverse patterns of bone regeneration in rabbit calvarial defects depending on the type of collagen membrane.

PURPOSE: Various crosslinking methods have been introduced to increase the longevity of collagen membranes. The aim of this study was to compare and evaluate the degradation and bone regeneration patterns of 3 collagen membranes. METHODS: Four 8-mm-diameter circular bone defects were created in the calvaria of 10 rabbits. In each rabbit, each defect was randomly allocated to 1) the sham control group, 2) the non-crosslinked collagen sponge (NS) group, 3) the chemically crosslinked collagen membrane (CCM) group, or 4) the biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP)-supplemented ultraviolet (UV)-crosslinked collagen membrane (UVM) group. Each defect was covered with the allocated membrane without any graft material. Rabbits were sacrificed at either 2 or 8 weeks post-surgery, and radiographic and histologic analyses were done. RESULTS: New bone formed underneath the membrane in defects in the CCM and UVM groups, with a distinctive new bone formation pattern, while new bone formed from the base of the defect in the NS and control groups. The CCM maintained its shape until 8 weeks, while the UVM and NS were fully degraded at 8 weeks; simultaneously, sustained inflammatory infiltration was found in the margin of the CCM, while it was absent in the UVM. In conclusion, the CCM showed longer longevity than the UVM, but was accompanied by higher levels of inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: Both the CCM and UVM showed distinctive patterns of enhancement in new bone formation in the early phase. UV crosslinking can be a biocompatible alternative to chemical crosslinking.

Distinctive bone regeneration of calvarial defects using biphasic calcium phosphate supplemented ultraviolet-crosslinked collagen membrane.

PURPOSE: To overcome several drawbacks of chemically-crosslinked collagen membranes, modification processes such as ultraviolet (UV) crosslinking and the addition of biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) to collagen membranes have been introduced. This study evaluated the efficacy and biocompatibility of BCP-supplemented UV-crosslinked collagen membrane for guided bone regeneration (GBR) in a rabbit calvarial model. METHODS: Four circular bone defects (diameter, 8 mm) were created in the calvarium of 10 rabbits. Each defect was randomly allocated to one of the following groups: 1) the sham control group (spontaneous healing); 2) the M group (defect coverage with a BCP-supplemented UV-crosslinked collagen membrane and no graft material); 3) the BG (defects filled with BCP particles without membrane coverage); and 4) the BG+M group (defects filled with BCP particles and covered with a BCP-supplemented UV-crosslinked collagen membrane in a conventional GBR procedure). At 2 and 8 weeks, rabbits were sacrificed, and experimental defects were investigated histologically and by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). RESULTS: In both micro-CT and histometric analyses, the BG and BG+M groups at both 2 and 8 weeks showed significantly higher new bone formation than the control group. On micro-CT, the new bone volume of the BG+M group (48.39±5.47 mm3) was larger than that of the BG group (38.71±2.24 mm3, P=0.032) at 8 weeks. Histologically, greater new bone area was observed in the BG+M group than in the BG or M groups. BCP-supplemented UV-crosslinked collagen membrane did not cause an abnormal cellular reaction and was stable until 8 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Enhanced new bone formation in GBR can be achieved by simultaneously using bone graft material and a BCP-supplemented UV-crosslinked collagen membrane, which showed high biocompatibility and resistance to degradation, making it a biocompatible alternative to chemically-crosslinked collagen membranes.

Green Silver Nanoparticles Formed by Phyllanthus urinaria, Pouzolzia zeylanica, and Scoparia dulcis Leaf Extracts and the Antifungal Activity.

Phytoconstituents presenting in herbal plant broths are the biocompatible, regenerative, and cost-effective sources that can be utilized for green synthesis of silver nanoparticles. Different plant extracts can form nanoparticles with specific sizes, shapes, and properties. In the study, we prepared silver nanoparticles (P.uri.AgNPs, P.zey.AgNPs, and S.dul.AgNPs) based on three kinds of leaf extracts (Phyllanthus urinaria, Pouzolzia zeylanica, and Scoparia dulcis, respectively) and demonstrated the antifungal capacity. The silver nanoparticles were simply formed by adding silver nitrate to leaf extracts without using any reducing agents or stabilizers. Formation and physicochemical properties of these silver nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. P.uri.AgNPs were 28.3 nm and spherical. P.zey.AgNPs were 26.7 nm with hexagon or triangle morphologies. Spherical S.dul.AgNPs were formed and they were relatively smaller than others. P.uri.AgNPs, P.zey.AgNPs and S.dul.AgNPs exhibited the antifungal ability effective against Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, and Fusarium oxysporum, demonstrating their potentials as fungicides in the biomedical and agricultural applications.

Synchronized methylene blue removal using Fenton-like reaction induced by phosphorous oxoanion and submerged plasma irradiation process.

In this study, a combination of phosphorus (PP) oxoanions in a submerged plasma irradiation (SPI) system was used to enhance the removal efficiency of dyes from wastewater. The SPI system showed synergistic methylene blue removal efficiency, due to the plasma irradiation and Fenton-like oxidation. The ferrous ions released from the iron electrode in the SPI system under plasmonic conditions form complexes with the PP anions, which can then react with dissolved oxygen (O2) or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) via Fenton-like reactions. The experimental results revealed that a sodium triphosphate (TPP) combined SPI system has a higher dye removal efficiency than a tetrasodium pyrophosphate (DP) or a sodium hexametaphosphate (HMP) combined SPI system under similar dissolved iron ion concentrations. To confirm the accuracy of the proposed removal mechanism via Fenton-like oxidation, it was compared to SPI systems under an oxygen environment (TPP/SPI/O2 (k = 0.0182 s-1)) and a nitrogen environment (TPP/SPI/N2 (k = 0.0062 s-1)). The results indicate that the hydroxyl radical (OH) in the TPP/SPI/O2 system is the major oxidant in methylene blue removal, because the dye degradation rates dramatically decreased with the addition of radical scavengers such as tert-butanol (k = 0.0023 s-1) and methanol (k = 0.0021 s-1). On the other hand, no change was observed in the methylene blue removal efficiency of the TPP/SPI/O2 system when it was subjected to a wide range of pHs (3-9). In addition, it was proved that this system could be used to eliminate six different commercial dyes. The results of this study indicated that the TPP/SPI/O2 system is a promising advanced oxidation approach for dye wastewater treatment.

Pre-clinical evaluation of the osteogenic potential of bone morphogenetic protein-2 loaded onto a particulate porcine bone biomaterial.

AIM: The objective of study was to determine the osteogenic potential of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) loaded onto a particulate porcine bone mineral (PBM) biomaterial using a sinus augmentation model. METHODS: Release kinetics of BMP-2/PBM was determined in vitro. Eight rabbits received BMP-2/PBM or PBM alone into contra-lateral sinus sites. The animals were killed following a 2-week healing interval for micro-CT and histometrical analysis. RESULTS: Approximately 40% of the BMP-2 was released from PBM over the first 3 days in vitro; release maintained at a reduced level through day 21. In vivo, total augmented implant volume did not differ significantly between treatments. However, local bone formation was enhanced in the BMP-2/PBM group compared with PBM control (10.5% versus 6.6%; p = 0.03), specifically in the central aspect of the PBM implant (14.2% versus 5.5%; p < 0.01) and adjoining the Schneiderian membrane (11.9% versus 5.0%; p < 0.05). There were no significant overall differences in residual biomaterial and fibrovascular tissue. CONCLUSION: Bone morphogenetic protein-2 enhanced local bone formation in the rabbit maxillary sinus model following implantation using a PBM carrier.