A Water-Soluble Cationic Zinc Lysine Precursor for Coating ZnO on Biomaterial Surfaces.

A novel water-soluble cationic zinc lysine coordination compound, [Zn[(C6H14N2O2)]2Cl]Cl·2H2O (1), has been designed and synthesized and its crystal structure determined. The aqueous solution of this coordination compound is not only transparent and stable at room temperature but it is also nearly neutral (pH ∼ 7). It is worth noting that zinc oxide (ZnO) forms in situ upon dilution of a solution of the compound. The bioactivity of ZnO has been confirmed using an Alarma Blue assay. These unique properties allow the coordination compound to gently grow ZnO coating with excellent antibacterial benefits onto biomaterial surfaces in a facile and safe manner.

Optimal aluminum/zirconium: Protein interactions for predicting antiperspirant efficacy using zeta potential measurements.

The interactions between commercial antiperspirant (AP) salts [aluminum chlorohydrate (ACH), activated ACH, aluminum sesquichlorohydrate (ASCH), zirconium aluminum glycine (ZAG), activated ZAG), pure aluminum polyoxocations (Al13-mer, Al30-mer), and the zirconium(IV)-glycine complex Zr6 (O)4 (OH)4 (H2O)8 (Gly)8]12+(-) (CP-2 or ZG) with Bovine serum albumin (BSA) were studied using zeta potential and turbidity measurements. The maximal turbidity, which revealed the optimal interactions between protein and metal salts, for all protein-metal salt samples was observed at the isoelectric point (IEP), where the zeta potential of the solution was zero. Efficacy of AP salts was determined via three parameters: the amount of salt required to flocculate BSA to reach IEP, the turbidity of solution at the IEP, and the pH range over which the turbidity of the solution remains sufficiently high. By comparing active salt performance from this work to traditional prescreening methods, this methodology was able to provide a consistent efficacy assessment for metal actives in APs or in water treatment.

Ultrathin hybrid films of polyoxohydroxy clusters and proteins: layer-by-layer assembly and their optical and mechanical properties.

The hierarchical assembly of inorganic and organic building blocks is an efficient strategy to produce high-performance materials which has been demonstrated in various biomaterials. Here, we report a layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly method to fabricate ultrathin hybrid films from nanometer-scale ionic clusters and proteins. Two types of cationic clusters (hydrolyzed aluminum clusters and zirconium-glycine clusters) were assembled with negatively charged bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein to form high-quality hybrid films, due to their strong electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding. The obtained hybrid films were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), UV-vis, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results demonstrated that the cluster-protein hybrid films exhibited structural homogeneity, relative transparency, and bright blue fluorescence. More importantly, these hybrid films displayed up to a 70% increase in hardness and up to a 100% increase in reduced Young's modulus compared to the pure BSA film. These hybrid cluster-protein films could be potentially used as biomedical coatings in the future because of their good transparency and excellent mechanical properties.

Effects ofBifidobacterium lactisHN019 andLactobacillus acidophilusNCFM on volatile sulfur compounds produced by oral anaerobes.

Halitosis is a term that refers to an unpleasant or foul odor originating from oral cavity, which is mainly caused by volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) produced by oral anaerobes such asPorphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Treponema denticolaandPrevotella intermedia. General therapies, such as tooth and tongue brushing or usage of bacteriostat can hardly provide a harmless and continuous therapeutic effect on halitosis. Recent evidence has suggested the potential clinical application value of probiotics in the treatment of halitosis. In this study,Bifidobacterium lactisHN019 andLactobacillus acidophilusNCFM were identified from four kinds of probiotics and the antimicrobial activities against pathogens related to halitosis and inhibitory effects on VSCs were investigated. The results showed thatB. lactisHN019 andL. acidophilusNCFM exhibited superior bacteriostatic action against pathogens related to halitosis and showed remarkable inhibitory effect on the production and emission of VSCs. These findings suggest thatB. lactisHN019 andL. acidophilusNCFM may serve as promising parts of a successful halitosis manage plan.

Evaluation of the Antibacterial and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of a Natural Products-Containing Toothpaste.

Fluoride-containing toothpaste is daily used in toothbrush. Some compounds derived from natural herbs that have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities has attracted increasing attention as potential supplements for the control of oral diseases. In this paper, a natural product mixture (NPM-8) containing eight herbs extracts was added to toothpaste, and its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects were investigated. The results showed that NPM-8-containing toothpaste exhibited superior and faster inhibitory and bactericidal effects against S. mutans, S. sanguinis and P. gingivalis than that of the NPM-8-free toothpaste. NPM-8-containing toothpaste significantly reduced the biomass of single-species or three-species biofilms. The cytotoxicity of the NPM-8-containing toothpaste was similar to that of the conventional fluoride toothpaste and CHX. The NPM-8-containing toothpaste could significantly inhibit IL-1ß and IL-6 production in HGE cells and exhibited a better anti-inflammatory effect than that of the NPM-8-free toothpaste. In conclusion, NPM-8-containing fluoride toothpaste is superior to conventional fluoride toothpaste in regard to their antibacterial, antibiofilm, and anti-inflammatory properties. NPM-8-containing toothpaste also has good biocompatibility and is safe for daily use. It indicates that NPM-8 is a promising natural product mixture in oral health.