A tooth-binding antimicrobial peptide to prevent the formation of dental biofilm.

Dental caries is primarily caused by pathogenic bacteria infection, and Streptococcus mutans is considered a major cariogenic pathogen. Moreover, antimicrobial peptides have been considered an alternative to traditional antibiotics in treating caries. This study aimed to design a tooth-binding antimicrobial peptide and evaluate its antimicrobial efficacy against S. mutans. An antimicrobial peptide of polyphemusin I (PI) was modified by grafting a tooth-binding domain of diphosphoserine (Ser(p)-Ser(p)-) to create the peptide of Ser(p)-Ser(p)-polyphemusin I (DPS-PI). PI and DPS-PI were synthesized by Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis. The minimum inhibitory concentration of PI and DPS-PI against S. mutans were tested. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to observe the growth of S. mutans on PI and DPS-PI treated enamel surfaces. The growth of S. mutans was evaluated by optical density (OD) at 590 nm. Inhibition of dental plaque biofilm development in vivo were investigated. The cytocompatibility to bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) was tested. The MIC of PI and DPS-PI were 40 and 80 µg/ml, respectively. SEM images showed that S. mutans were sparsely distributed on the DPS-PI treated enamel surface. OD findings indicated that DPS-PI maintained its inhibition effect on S. mutans growth after 24 h. The incisor surfaces of rabbits treated with DPS-PI developed significantly less dental plaque biofilm than that on PI treated surfaces. The DPS-PI had good biocompatibility with the cells. We successfully constructed a novel tooth-binding antimicrobial peptide against S. mutans in vitro and inhibited dental plaque biofilm development in vivo. DPS-PI may provide a feasible alternative to conventional antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of dental caries. Dental caries is primarily caused by pathogenic bacteria infection, and Streptococcus mutans is considered a major cariogenic pathogen. A tooth-binding antimicrobial peptide was designed by grafted diphosphoserine (-Ser(p)-Ser(p)-) to the structure of polyphemusin I. This novel tooth-binding antimicrobial peptide can inhibit dental plaque biofilm development and thus provide a feasible alternative to conventional antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of dental caries.

Acidic Monetite Complex Paste with Bleaching Property for In-depth Occlusion of Dentinal Tubules.

BACKGROUND: Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) is a common dental clinical condition presented with a short and sharp pain in response to physical and chemical stimuli. Currently no treatment regimen demonstrates long-lasting efficacy in treating DH, and unesthetic yellow tooth color is a concern to many patients with DH. AIM: To develop a bi-functional material which can occlude dentinal tubules in-depth and remineralize dentin for long-lasting protection of the dentin-pulp complex from stimuli and bleach the tooth at the same time. METHODS: A mixture containing CaO, H3PO4, polyethylene glycol and H2O2 at a specific ratio was mechanically ground using a planetary ball. The mineralizing complex paste was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Dentin was exposed to the synthesized paste for 8 h and 24 h in vitro. The mineralizing property was evaluated using SEM and microhardness tests. Red tea-stained tooth slices were exposed to the synthesized paste for 8 h and 24 h in vitro. The bleaching effect was characterized by a spectrophotometer. RESULTS: The complex paste had very a fine texture, was injectable, and had a gel-like property with 2.6 (mass/volume) % H2O2 concentration. The X-ray diffraction pattern showed that the inorganic phase was mainly monetite (CaHPO4). The mineralizing complex paste induced the growth of inorganic crystals on the dentin surface and in-depth occlusion of dentin tubules by up to 80 µm. The regenerated crystals were integrated into the dentin tissue on the dentin surface and the wall of dentinal tubules with a microhardness of up to 126 MPa (versus 137 Mpa for dentin). The paste also bleached the stained dental slices. CONCLUSION: The mineralizing complex paste is a promising innovative material for efficient DH management by remineralizing dentin and in-depth occlusion of dentin tubules, as well as tooth bleaching.

Analysis of computed tomography and pathological observations of non-Hodgkin lymphomas with peritoneal, omental and mesenteric involvement.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between computed tomography (CT) images and the pathological observations of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients with peritoneal, omental and mesenteric involvement. In total, 26 patients suffering from an NHL with peritoneal, omental or mesenteric involvement were reviewed retrospectively, and the observed CT scan characteristics were analyzed. In addition, associations among the CT scan characteristics and the NHL subtypes, including diffuse large B-cell, mantle cell, follicular cell and T-cell lymphoma, were evaluated. The CT scan characteristics of the NHLs with peritoneal, omental and mesenteric involvement included peritoneal cord-like thickening, peritoneal omental nodular and swelling thickening, omental cake-like thickening and mesenteric mass. The probability of peritoneal linear, omental nodular and swelling thickening was found to be higher in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cases compared with cases of other NHL subtypes (P<0.05). However, the probability of omental cake-like thickening and mesenteric mass was not found to be significantly different among the NHL subtypes (P>0.05). Signs of peritoneal, omental and mesenteric involvement were observed in the CT scans of all the NHL subtypes, particularly in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cases. Therefore, linear, omental nodular and swelling thickening were characteristic of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, while omental cake-like thickening and mesenteric mass were observed in all NHL subtypes.

Hiwi knockdown inhibits the growth of lung cancer in nude mice.

Hiwi, a human homologue of the Piwi family, plays an important role in stem cell self-renewal and is overexpressed in various human tumors. This study aimed to determine whether an RNA interference-based strategy to suppress Hiwi expression could inhibit tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model. A rare population of SSCloAldebr cells was isolated and identified as lung cancer stem cells in our previous study. Plasmids containing U6 promoter-driven shRNAs against Hiwi or control plasmids were successfully established. The xenograft tumor model was generated by subcutaneously inoculating with lung cancer stem cell SSCloAldebr cells. After the tumor size reached about 8 mm in diameter, shRNA plasmids were injected into the mice via the tail vein three times a week for two weeks, then xenograft tumor growth was assessed. In nude mice, intravenously delivery of Hiwi shRNA plasmids significantly inhibited tumor growth compared to treatment with control scrambled shRNA plasmids or the vehicle PBS. No mice died during the experiment and no adverse events were observed in mice administered the plasmids. Moreover, delivery of Hiwi shRNA plasmids resulted in a significant suppressed expression of Hiwi and ALDH-1 in xenograft tumor samples, based on immunohistochemical analysis. Thus, shRNA-mediated Hiwi gene silencing in lung cancer stem cells by an effective in vivo gene delivery strategy appeared to be an effective therapeutic approach for lung cancer, and may provide some useful clues for RNAi gene therapy in solid cancers.