Relevance of Topographic Parameters on the Adhesion and Proliferation of Human Gingival Fibroblasts and Oral Bacterial Strains

Dental implantology allows replacement of failing teeth providing the patient with a general improvement of health. Unfortunately not all reconstructions succeed, as a consequence of the development of infections of bacterial origin on the implant surface. Surface topography is known to modulate a differential response to bacterial and mammalian cells but topographical measurements are often limited to vertical parameters. In this work we have extended the topographical measurements also to lateral and hybrid parameters of the five most representative implant and prosthetic component surfaces and correlated the results with bacterial and mammalian cell adhesion and proliferation outcomes. Primary human oral gingival fibroblast (gum cells) and the bacterial strains: Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, implicated in infectious processes in the oral/implant environment were employed in the presence or absence of human saliva. The results confirm that even though not all the measured surface is available for bacteria to adhere, the overall race for the surface between cells and bacteria is more favourable to the smoother surfaces (nitrided, as machined or lightly acid etched) than to the rougher ones (strong acid etched or sandblasted/acid etched).

Survival of Staphylococcus epidermidis in Fibroblasts and Osteoblasts

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a leading cause of infections associated with indwelling medical devices, including prosthetic joint infection. While biofilm formation is assumed to be the main mechanism underlying the chronic infections S. epidermidis causes, we hypothesized that S. epidermidis also evades immune killing, contributing to its pathogenesis. Here, we show that prosthetic joint-associated S. epidermidis isolates can persist intracellularly within human fibroblasts and inside human and mouse osteoblasts. We also show that the intracellularly persisting bacteria reside primarily within acidic phagolysosomes and that over the course of infection, small-colony variants are selected for. Moreover, upon eukaryotic cell death, these bacteria, which can outlive their host, can escape into the extracellular environment, providing them an opportunity to form biofilms on implant surfaces at delayed time points in implant-associated infection. In summary, the acidic phagolysosomes of fibroblasts and osteoblasts serve as reservoirs for chronic or delayed S. epidermidis infection.

Exploration of the bacterial invasion capacity of Listeria monocytogenes in ZF4 cells

Despite the results from zebrafish challenged model have demonstrated that Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) has strong adjuvant effects when this attenuated pathogenic bacteria is viewed as aquaculture vaccine vector, the underlying mechanism is not clear and extensive investigations are required. To further explore the potential of Lm in the field of aquaculture vaccine, zebrafish embryonic fibroblast cell line (ZF4) was used to evaluate the invasion ability of Lm. The data from cellular level showed that Lm had the lower invasion tendentiousness in ZF4 cells while bacterial invasion capacity was compared between zebrafish embryos cell line and human intestinal epithelial cell line. In ZF4 cells, there is no significant difference in bacterial invasion capacity between wild strain EGD-e and double-deleted strain ΔactA/inlB, which suggested that this attenuated effect was not showed in zebrafish cells. In addition, translation analysis indicated that the expressions of CD4 and CD8a in ZF4 cells increased after 2-h infection of the two Lm strains. These results further demonstrated that Lm presented multiple advantages including lower pathogenicity and antigen presentation when attenuated stain was viewed as aquaculture vaccine vector.

Up-Regulation of miR-130b-3p Activates the PTEN/PI3K/AKT/NF-κB Pathway to Defense against Mycoplasma gallisepticum (HS Strain) Infection of Chicken

Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) is the pathogen of chronic respiratory disease (CRD), hallmarked by vigorous inflammation in chickens, causing the poultry industry enormous losses. miRNAs have emerged as important regulators of animal diseases. Previous miRNA sequencing data has demonstrated that miR-130b-3p is up-regulated in MG-infected chicken embryo lungs. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the function of miR-130b-3p in MG infection of chickens. RT-qPCR results confirmed that miR-130b-3p was up-regulated both in MG-infected chicken embryo lungs and chicken embryonic fibroblast cells (DF-1 cells). Furthermore, functional studies showed that overexpression of miR-130b-3p promoted MG-infected DF-1 cell proliferation and cell cycle, whereas inhibition of miR-130b-3p weakened these cellular processes. Luciferase reporter assay combined with gene expression data supported that phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) was a direct target of miR-130b-3p. Additionally, overexpression of miR-130b-3p resulted in up-regulations of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K), serine/threonine kinase (AKT), and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), whereas inhibition of miR-130b-3p led to the opposite results. Altogether, upon MG infection, up-regulation of miR-130b-3p activates the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway, facilitates cell proliferation and cell cycle via down-regulating PTEN. This study helps to understand the mechanism of host response to MG infection.

The discrepancy function of NLRC5 isoforms in antiviral and antibacterial immune responses

NOD-like receptors (NLRs) are a family of intracellular pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that play critical roles in innate immunity against pathogens infection. NLRC5, the largest member of NLR family, has been characterized as a regulator of innate immunity and MHC class I expression. Alternative splicing of NLRC5 is only reported in human and zebrafish. However, the function of NLRC5 isoforms in the innate immune responses remains unknown. In the present study, we report the functional characterization of zfNLRC5a and zfNLRC5d, two splicing isoforms of zebrafish NLRC5. zfNLRC5a and zfNLRC5d are generated by exon skipping, and whose alternative splicing sites exist in the region of LRRs. Fluorescence microscopy showed that zfNLRC5 isoforms were located throughout the entire cell including nuclear staining. The expression of zfNLRC5 isoform was inducible in response to bacterial and viral infections. During SVCV infection, the in vitro and in vivo studies found that zfNLRC5d overexpression increased protection against viral infection; however zfNLRC5a overexpression had no significant effect on antiviral activity. Interestingly, zfNLRC5 isoforms but not zfNLRC5 were involved in transcriptional regulation of TLRs and NF-κB signaling. Overexpression of zfNLRC5 isoforms also contributed to negative regulation of antibacterial immune response, with the decreased expression of nfkbiaa (IκBα). All together, these results firstly demonstrate the function of NLRC5 isoforms in antiviral and antibacterial immune responses both in vitro and in vivo.

Micelle-Coated, Hierarchically Structured Nanofibers with Dual-Release Capability for Accelerated Wound Healing and Infection Control

Tailoring nanofibrous matrices-a material with much promise for wound healing applications-to simultaneously mitigate bacterial colonization and stimulate wound closure of infected wounds is highly desirable. To that end, a dual-releasing, multiscale system of biodegradable electrospun nanofibers coated with biocompatible micellar nanocarriers is reported. For wound healing, transforming growth factor-β1 is incorporated into polycaprolactone/collagen (PCL/Coll) nanofibers via electrospinning and the myofibroblastic differentiation of human dermal fibroblasts is locally stimulated. To prevent infection, biocompatible nanocarriers of polypeptide-based block copolymer micelles are deposited onto the surfaces of PCL/Coll nanofibers using tannic acid as a binding partner. Micelle-modified fibrous scaffolds are favorable for wound healing, not only supporting the attachment and spreading of fibroblasts comparable to those on noncoated nanofibers, but also significantly enhancing fibroblast migration. Micellar coatings can be loaded with gentamicin or clindamycin and exhibit antibacterial activity as measured by Petrifilm and zone of inhibition assays as well as time-dependent reduction of cellular counts of Staphylococcus aureus cultures. Moreover, delivery time of antibiotic dosage is tunable through the application of a novel modular approach. Altogether, this system holds great promise as an infection-mitigating, cell-stimulating, biodegradable skin graft for wound management and tissue engineering.

gga-miR-451 Negatively Regulates Mycoplasma gallisepticum (HS Strain)-Induced Inflammatory Cytokine Production via Targeting YWHAZ

Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) is the most economically significant mycoplasma pathogen of poultry that causes chronic respiratory disease (CRD) in chickens. Although miRNAs have been identified as a major regulator effect on inflammatory response, it is largely unclear how they regulate MG-induced inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the functional roles of gga-miR-451 and identify downstream targets regulated by gga-miR-451 in MG infection of chicken. We found that the expression of gga-miR-451 was significantly up-regulated during MG infection of chicken embryo fibroblast cells (DF-1) and chicken embryonic lungs. Overexpression of gga-miR-451 decreased the MG-induced inflammatory cytokine production, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), whereas inhibition of gga-miR-451 had the opposite effect. Gene expression data combined with luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that tyrosine3-monooxygenase/tryptophan5-monooxygenase activation protein zeta (YWHAZ) was identified as a direct target of gga-miR-451 in the context of MG infection. Furthermore, upregulation of gga-miR-451 significantly inhibited the MG-infected DF-1 cells proliferation, induced cell-cycle arrest, and promoted apoptosis. Collectively, our results demonstrate that gga-miR-451 negatively regulates the MG-induced production of inflammatory cytokines via targeting YWHAZ, inhibits the cell cycle progression and cell proliferation, and promotes cell apoptosis. This study provides a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of MG infection.

Molecular mechanisms driving Streptococcus mitis entry into human gingival fibroblasts in presence of chitlac-nAg and saliva

The molecular mechanisms leading to Streptococcus mitis capability of entering oral cells were investigated in a co-culture of S. mitis and Human Gingival Fibroblasts (HGFs) in the presence of saliva. An innovative colloidal solution based on silver nanoparticles (Chitlac-nAg), a promising device for daily oral care, was added to the experimental system in order to study the effects of silver on the bacterial overgrowth and ability to enter non-phagocytic eukaryotic cells. The entry of bacteria into the eukaryotic cells is mediated by a signalling pathway involving FAK, integrin β1, and the two cytoskeleton proteins vinculin and F-actin, and down-regulated by the presence of saliva both at 3 and 48 h of culture, whereas Chitlac-n Ag exposure seems to influence, by incrementing it, the number of bacteria entering the fibroblasts only at 48 h. The formation of fibrillary extrusion from HGFs and the co-localization of bacteria and silver nanoparticles within the fibroblast vacuoles were also recorded. After longer experimental times (72 and 96 h), the number of S. mitis chains inside gingival cells is reduced, mainly in presence of saliva. The results suggest an escape of bacteria from fibroblasts to restore the microbial balance of the oral cavity.

Inhibition of Oral Pathogens Adhesion to Human Gingival Fibroblasts by Wine Polyphenols Alone and in Combination with an Oral Probiotic

Several benefits have been described for red wine polyphenols and probiotic strains in the promotion of colonic metabolism and health. On the contrary, knowledge about their role in the management of oral health is still scarce. In this work, the antiadhesive capacity of selected red wine polyphenols and oenological extracts against the oral pathogens Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Streptococcus mutans in an in vitro model of human gingival fibroblasts has been explored as well as their complementary action with the candidate oral probiotic Streptococcus dentisani. Results highlighted the antiadhesive capacity of caffeic and p-coumaric acids as well as grape seed and red wine oenological extracts. Both, caffeic and p-coumaric acids increased their inhibition potential against S. mutans adhesion when combined with S. dentisani. Additionally, UHPLC-MS/MS analysis demonstrated the oral metabolism of wine phenolics due to both, cellular and bacterial activity.

Repeatable Photodynamic Therapy with Triggered Signaling Pathways of Fibroblast Cell Proliferation and Differentiation To Promote Bacteria-Accompanied Wound Healing

Despite the development of advanced antibacterial materials, bacterial infection is still a serious problem for wound healing because it usually induces severe complications and cannot be eradicated completely. Most current materials cannot simultaneously provide antibacterial activity, reusability, and biocompatibility as well as participate in stimulating cell behaviors to promote bacteria-accompanied wound healing. This work fabricated a hybrid hydrogel embedded with two-dimensional (2D) few-layer black phosphorus nanosheets (BPs) via simple electrostatic interaction. Within 10 min, 98.90% Escherichia coli and 99.51% Staphylococcus aureus can be killed rapidly by this hybrid, due to its powerful ability to produce singlet oxygen (¹O₂) under simulated visible light. In addition, this hydrogel also shows a high repeatability; that is, the antibacterial efficacy can still reach up to 95.6 and 94.58% against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively, even after challenging bacteria up to four times repeatedly. In vitro and in vivo results reveal that BPs in this hybrid hydrogel can promote the formation of the fibrinogen at the early stages during the tissue reconstruction process for accelerated incrustation. In addition, BPs can also trigger phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) signaling pathways for enhanced cellular proliferation and differentiation. Moreover, the hydrogel causes no appreciable abnormalities or damage to major organs (heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney) in rats during the wound healing process. Therefore, this BP-based hydrogel will have great potential as a safe multimodal therapeutic system for active wound healing and sterilization.

Sea anemone model has a single Toll-like receptor that can function in pathogen detection, NF-κB signal transduction, and development

In organisms from insects to vertebrates, Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are primary pathogen detectors that activate downstream pathways, specifically those that direct expression of innate immune effector genes. TLRs also have roles in development in many species. The sea anemone Nematostella vectensis is a useful cnidarian model to study the origins of TLR signaling because its genome encodes a single TLR and homologs of many downstream signaling components, including the NF-κB pathway. We have characterized the single N. vectensis TLR (Nv-TLR) and demonstrated that it can activate canonical NF-κB signaling in human cells. Furthermore, we show that the intracellular Toll/IL-1 receptor (TIR) domain of Nv-TLR can interact with the human TLR adapter proteins MAL and MYD88. We demonstrate that the coral pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus causes a rapidly lethal disease in N. vectensis and that heat-inactivated V. coralliilyticus and bacterial flagellin can activate a reconstituted Nv-TLR-to-NF-κB pathway in human cells. By immunostaining of anemones, we show that Nv-TLR is expressed in a subset of cnidocytes and that many of these Nv-TLR-expressing cells also express Nv-NF-κB. Additionally, the nematosome, which is a Nematostella-specific multicellular structure, expresses Nv-TLR and many innate immune pathway homologs and can engulf V. coralliilyticus Morpholino knockdown indicates that Nv-TLR also has an essential role during early embryonic development. Our characterization of this primitive TLR and identification of a bacterial pathogen for N. vectensis reveal ancient TLR functions and provide a model for studying the molecular basis of cnidarian disease and immunity.

Porphyromonas gingivalis-Derived Lipopolysaccharide Combines Hypoxia to Induce Caspase-1 Activation in Periodontitis

Periodontitis is defined as inflammation affecting the supporting tissue of teeth. Periodontal pathogens initiate the disease and induce inflammatory host response. Hypoxia may accelerate the process by producing pro-inflammatory factors. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) LPS in inducing caspase-1 activation in normoxic or hypoxic phases. The results showed that healthy gingiva was in a normoxic phase (HIF-1α negative). However, hypoxia appeared in periodontitis, in which NLRP3, cleaved-caspase-1, interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) and caspase-1-induced cell death was enhanced in periodontitis specimens. The in vitro experiment showed that P. gingivalis LPS slightly decreased the level of NLRP3 and IL-1β in gingival fibroblasts under normoxia. Surprisingly, hypoxia reversed the effects of P. gingivalis LPS, highly promoted caspase-1 activation and IL-1β maturation. E. coli LPS, a kind of pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) was chosen to simulate the effect of Gram-negative microbiota. Different from P. gingivalis LPS, E. coli LPS enhanced IL-1β maturation both in normoxia and hypoxia. Moreover, E. coli LPS turned normoxia into hypoxia phase in experimental periodontitis model, which may subsequently propel the inflammatory effect of P. gingivalis LPS. It was concluded that E. coli LPS induced a hypoxic phase, which is a combing pathological factor of P. gingivalis LPS in caspase-1 activating and IL-1β maturation in periodontal inflammation.

Mycolactone cytotoxicity in Schwann cells could explain nerve damage in Buruli ulcer

Buruli ulcer is a chronic painless skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. The local nerve damage induced by M. ulcerans invasion is similar to the nerve damage evoked by the injection of mycolactone in a Buruli ulcer mouse model. In order to elucidate the mechanism of this nerve damage, we tested and compared the cytotoxic effect of synthetic mycolactone A/B on cultured Schwann cells, fibroblasts and macrophages. Mycolactone induced much higher cell death and apoptosis in Schwann cell line SW10 than in fibroblast line L929. These results suggest that mycolactone is a key substance in the production of nerve damage of Buruli ulcer.

Buruli ulcer is a chronic skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, and the disease is characterized by the painless nature of its lesion. Similar to leprosy, loss of pain often hinders the patients from taking proper medical care, resulting in gross deformities. A toxic lipid mycolactone produced from Mycobacterium ulcerans was thought to block the sensory system of the lesion, either by direct cellular damage (cytotoxicity) to the regional nerve tissue, or by a more sophisticated, non-toxic paralyzing mechanism. In the peripheral nerve, Schwann cells nourish axons and accelerate nerve conduction. In this study, we have compared the cytotoxic potential of mycolactone on cultured Schwann cells and that on fibroblasts, and found that mycolactone A/B induced much higher cell death and apoptosis in Schwann cell line SW10 than in fibroblast line L929. These results support the cytotoxic theory and suggest that mycolactone is a key substance in the production of nerve damage of Buruli ulcer.

In vitro anti-Candida activity of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors against fluconazole-resistant strains and their activity against biofilm-forming isolates

Recent research has shown broad antifungal activity of the classic antidepressants selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). This fact, combined with the increased cross-resistance frequency of the genre Candida regarding the main treatment today, fluconazole, requires the development of novel therapeutic strategies. In that context, this study aimed to assess the antifungal potential of fluoxetine, sertraline, and paroxetine against fluconazole-resistant Candida spp. planktonic cells, as well as to assess the mechanism of action and the viability of biofilms treated with fluoxetine. After 24 h, the fluconazole-resistant Candida spp. strains showed minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in the ranges of 20-160 μg/mL for fluoxetine, 10-20 μg/mL for sertraline, and 10-100.8 μg/mL for paroxetine by the broth microdilution method (M27-A3). According to our data by flow cytometry, each of the SSRIs cause fungal death after damaging the plasma and mitochondrial membrane, which activates apoptotic signaling pathways and leads to dose-dependant cell viability loss. Regarding biofilm-forming isolates, the fluoxetine reduce mature biofilm of all the species tested. Therefore, it is concluded that SSRIs are capable of inhibit the growth in vitro of Candida spp., both in planktonic form, as biofilm, inducing cellular death by apoptosis.

[Lipopolysaccharide of Porphyromonas gingivalis promotes the autophagy of human gingival fibroblasts]

Objective To investigate the impact of lipopolysaccharide of Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg-LPS) on the autophagy of human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs). Methods Firstly, HGFs was stimulated with 10 μg/mL Pg-LPS for 12 hours or 24 hours. Rapamycin was used as a positive control. The expression of LC3B was detected by Western blotting and the distribution of autophagosomes was observed by indirect immunofluorescence staining. At the same time, mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) was labeled by MitoSOX Red. The levels of mtROS and mitochondrial autophagy were measured in HGFs after treated with Pg-LPS. Then, T-butyl-4 (BHA), N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) were used separately to block the ROS and the expression of LC3B in Pg-LPS-treated HGFs was tested by Western blotting. Results After treatment with Pg-LPS, the ratio of LC3BII/LC3BI and the number of autophagic cells significantly increased, and the increase in the 24-hour treatment group was the more obvious than that in the 12-hour treatment group. The mtROS production and mitochondrial autophagy were significantly promoted after Pg-LPS treatment. In addition, CoQ10 effectively reduced Pg-LPS-induced autophagy of HGFs. Conclusion Pg-LPS can induce the autophagy of HGFs by raising mtROS production, and autophagy is involved in the degradation of damaged mitochondria to maintain cellular homeostasis.

Cell-protection mechanism through autophagy in HGFs/S. mitis co-culture treated with Chitlac-nAg

Silver-based products have been proven to be effective in retarding and preventing bacterial growth since ancient times. In the field of restorative dentistry, the use of silver ions/nanoparticles has been explored to counteract bacterial infections, as silver can destroy bacterial cell walls by reacting with membrane proteins. However, it is also cytotoxic towards eukaryotic cells, which are capable of internalizing nanoparticles. In this work, we investigated the biological effects of Chitlac-nAg, a colloidal system based on a modified chitosan (Chitlac), administered for 24-48 h to a co-culture of primary human gingival fibroblasts and Streptococcus mitis in the presence of saliva, developed to mimic the microenvironment of the oral cavity. We sought to determine its efficiency to combat oral hygiene-related diseases without affecting eukaryotic cells. Cytotoxicity, reactive oxygen species production, apoptosis induction, nanoparticles uptake, and lysosome and autophagosome metabolism were evaluated. In vitro results show that Chitlac-nAg does not exert cytotoxic effects on human gingival fibroblasts, which seem to survive through a homoeostasis mechanism involving autophagy. That suggests that the novel biomaterial Chitlac-nAg could be a promising tool in the field of dentistry.

Sprayable peptide-modified silver nanoparticles as a barrier against bacterial colonization

Sprayable formulations of AgNPs were prepared by exchanging citrate capping agents with LL37-SH peptides. The AgNP@LL37 material was then combined with type I collagen to form a stable film once sprayed. The AgNP@LL37 spray prevented Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) proliferation and eradicated a P. aeruginosa biofilm, while being non-toxic for human skin fibroblasts embedded within 3D artificial skin constructs. Finally, no silver infiltration was observed after spraying on a full-thickness skin wound in a mouse model.

Melatonin Receptor Agonists as the "Perioceutics" Agents for Periodontal Disease through Modulation of Porphyromonas gingivalis Virulence and Inflammatory Response

Aim

“Perioceutics” including antimicrobial therapy and host modulatory therapy has emerged as a vital adjunctive treatment of periodontal disease. Melatonin level was significantly reduced in patients with periodontal diseases suggesting melatonin could be applied as a potential “perioceutics” treatment of periodontal diseases. This study aims to investigate the effects of melatonin receptor agonists (melatonin and ramelteon) on Porphyromonas gingivalis virulence and Porphyromonas gingivalis-derived lipopolysaccharide (Pg-LPS)-induced inflammation.

Methods

Effects of melatonin receptor agonists on Porphyromonas gingivalis planktonic cultures were determined by microplate dilution assays. Formation, reduction, and viability of Porphyromonas gingivalis biofilms were detected by crystal violet staining and MTT assays, respectively. Meanwhile, biofilms formation was also observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The effects on gingipains and hemolytic activities of Porphyromonas gingivalis were evaluated using chromogenic peptides and sheep erythrocytes. The mRNA expression of virulence and iron/heme utilization was assessed using RT-PCR. In addition, cell viability of melatonin receptor agonists on human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) was evaluated by MTT assays. After pretreatment of melatonin receptor agonists, HGFs were stimulated with Pg-LPS and then release of cytokines (IL-6 and lL-8) was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results

Melatonin and ramelteon did exhibit antimicrobial effects against planktonic culture. Importantly, they inhibited biofilm formation, reduced the established biofilms, and decreased biofilm viability of Porphyromonas gingivalis. Furthermore, they at sub-minimum inhibitory concentration (sub-MIC) concentrations markedly inhibited the proteinase activities of gingipains and hemolysis in a dose-dependent manner. They at sub-MIC concentrations significantly inhibited the mRNA expression of virulence factors (kgp, rgpA, rgpB, hagA, and ragA), while increasing the mRNA expression of ferritin (ftn) or hemolysin (hem). They did not show obvious cytotoxicity toward HGFs. They inhibited Pg-LPS-induced IL-6 and IL-8 secretion, which was reversed by luzindole, the melatonin receptor antagonist.

Conclusion

Melatonin receptor agonists can inhibit planktonic and biofilm growth of Porphyromonas gingivalis by affecting the virulent properties, as well as Pg-LPS-induced inflammatory response. Our study provides new evidence that melatonin receptor agonists might be useful as novel “perioceutics” agents to prevent and treat Porphyromonas gingivalis-associated periodontal diseases.

Initial Characterization of the Pig Skin Bacteriome and Its Effect on In Vitro Models of Wound Healing

Elucidating the roles and composition of the human skin microbiome has revealed a delicate interplay between resident microbes and wound healing. Evolutionarily speaking, normal cutaneous flora likely has been selected for because it potentiates or, at minimum, does not impede wound healing. While pigs are the gold standard model for wound healing studies, the porcine skin microbiome has not been studied in detail. Herein, we performed 16S rDNA sequencing to characterize the pig skin bacteriome at several anatomical locations. Additionally, we used bacterial conditioned-media with in vitro techniques to examine the paracrine effects of bacterial-derived proteins on human keratinocytes (NHEK) and fibroblasts (NHDF). We found that at the phyla level, the pig skin bacteriome is similar to that of humans and largely consists of Firmicutes (55.6%), Bacteroidetes (20.8%), Actinobacteria (13.3%), and Proteobacteria (5.1%) however species-level differences between anatomical locations exist. Studies of bacterial supernatant revealed location-dependent effects on NHDF migration and NHEK apoptosis and growth factor release. These results expand the limited knowledge of the cutaneous bacteriome of healthy swine, and suggest that naturally occurring bacterial flora affects wound healing differentially depending on anatomical location. Ultimately, the pig might be considered the best surrogate for not only wound healing studies but also the cutaneous microbiome. This would not only facilitate investigations into the microbiome’s role in recovery from injury, but also provide microbial targets for enhancing or accelerating wound healing.

Homogeneous Inflammatory Gene Profiles Induced in Human Dermal Fibroblasts in Response to the Three Main Species of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato

In Lyme borreliosis, the skin is the key site for bacterial inoculation by the infected tick and for cutaneous manifestations. We previously showed that different strains of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto isolated from tick and from different clinical stages of the Lyme borreliosis (erythema migrans, and acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans) elicited a very similar transcriptional response in normal human dermal fibroblasts. In this study, using whole transcriptome microarray chips, we aimed to compare the transcriptional response of normal human dermal fibroblasts stimulated by 3 Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato strains belonging to 3 main pathogenic species (B. afzelii, B. garinii and B. burgdorferi sensu stricto) in order to determine whether “species-related” inflammatory pathways could be identified. The three Borrelia strains tested exhibited similar transcriptional profiles, and no species-specific fingerprint of transcriptional changes in fibroblasts was observed. Conversely, a common core of chemokines/cytokines (CCL2, CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL6, CXCL10, IL-6, IL-8) and interferon-related genes was stimulated by all the 3 strains. Dermal fibroblasts appear to play a key role in the cutaneous infection with Borrelia, inducing a homogeneous inflammatory response, whichever Borrelia species was involved.

The Salmonella effector SopB prevents ROS-induced apoptosis of epithelial cells by retarding TRAF6 recruitment to mitochondria

Microbial pathogens enter host cells by injecting effector proteins of the Type III secretion system (T3SS), which facilitate pathogen translocation across the host cell membrane. These effector proteins exert their effects by modulating a variety of host innate immune responses, thereby facilitating bacterial replication and systemic infection. Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium (S.typhimurium) is a clinically important pathogen that causes food poisoning and gastroenteritis. The SopB effector protein of S. typhimurium, encoded by Salmonella pathogenicity islands (SPI)-1 T3SS, protects host epithelial cells from infection-induced apoptosis. However, how SopB influences apoptosis induction remains unclear. Here, we investigated the mechanism of SopB action in host cells. We found that SopB inhibits infection-induced apoptosis by attenuating the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mitochondria, the crucial organelles for apoptosis initiation. Further investigation revealed that SopB binds to cytosolic tumor necrosis factor receptor associated factor 6 (TRAF6) and forms a trap preventing the mitochondrial recruitment of TRAF6, an essential event for ROS generation within mitochondria. By studying the response of Traf6(+/+) and Traf6(-/-)mouse embryonic fibroblasts to S. typhimurium infection, we found that TRAF6 promoted apoptosis by increasing ROS accumulation, which led to increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, Bax recruitment to mitochondrial membrane, and release of Cyt c into the cytoplasm. These findings show that SopB suppresses host cell apoptosis by binding to TRAF6 and preventing mitochondrial ROS generation.

Immunomodulatory effects of tick saliva on dermal cells exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease

BACKGROUND

The prolonged feeding process of ixodid ticks, in combination with bacterial transmission, should lead to a robust inflammatory response at the blood-feeding site. Yet, factors present in tick saliva may down-regulate such responses, which may be beneficial to spirochete transmission. The primary goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that tick saliva, in the context of Borrelia burgdorferi, can have widespread effects on the production of immune mediators in skin.

METHODS

A cross-section of tick feeding on skin was examined histologically. Human THP-1 cells stimulated with B. burgdorferi and grown in the presence or absence of tick saliva were examined by human DNA microarray, cytokine bead array, sandwich ELISA, and qRT-PCR. Similar experiments were also conducted using dermal fibroblasts.

RESULTS

Tick feeding on skin showed dermal infiltration of histiocytes and granulocytes at the bite location. Changes in monocytic transcript levels during co-culture with B. burgdorferi and saliva indicated that tick saliva had a suppressive effect on the expression of certain pro-inflammatory mediators, such as IL-8 (CXCL8) and TLR2, but had a stimulatory effect on specific molecules such as the Interleukin 10 receptor, alpha subunit (IL-10RA), a known mediator of the immunosuppressive signal of IL-10. Stimulated cell culture supernatants were analyzed via antigen-capture ELISA and cytokine bead array for inflammatory mediator production. Treatment of monocytes with saliva significantly reduced the expression of several key mediators including IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-alpha. Tick saliva had an opposite effect on dermal fibroblasts. Rather than inhibiting, saliva enhanced production of pro-inflammatory mediators, including IL-8 and IL-6 from these sentinel skin cells.

CONCLUSIONS

The effects of ixodid tick saliva on resident skin cells is cell type-dependent. The response to both tick and pathogen at the site of feeding favors pathogen transmission, but may not be wholly suppressed by tick saliva.

In Vitro and In Vivo Antifungal Activity of Lichochalcone-A against Candida albicans Biofilms

Oral candidiasis (OC) is an opportunistic fungal infection with high prevalence among immunocompromised patients. Candida albicans is the most common fungal pathogen responsible for OC, often manifested in denture stomatitis and oral thrush. Virulence factors, such as biofilms formation and secretion of proteolytic enzymes, are key components in the pathogenicity of C. albicans. Given the limited number of available antifungal therapies and the increase in antifungal resistance, demand the search for new safe and effective antifungal treatments. Lichochalcone-A is a polyphenol natural compound, known for its broad protective activities, as an antimicrobial agent. In this study, we investigated the antifungal activity of lichochalcone-A against C. albicans biofilms both in vitro and in vivo. Lichochalcone-A (625 μM; equivalent to 10x MIC) significantly reduced C. albicans (MYA 2876) biofilm growth compared to the vehicle control group (1% ethanol), as indicated by the reduction in the colony formation unit (CFU)/ml/g of biofilm dry weight. Furthermore, proteolytic enzymatic activities of proteinases and phospholipases, secreted by C. albicans were significantly decreased in the lichochalcone-A treated biofilms. In vivo model utilized longitudinal imaging of OC fungal load using a bioluminescent-engineered C. albicans (SKCa23-ActgLUC) and coelenterazine substrate. Mice treated with lichochalcone-A topical treatments exhibited a significant reduction in total photon flux over 4 and 5 days post-infection. Similarly, ex vivo analysis of tongue samples, showed a significant decrease in CFU/ml/mg in tongue tissue sample of lichochalcone-A treated group, which suggest the potential of lichochalcone-A as a novel antifungal agent for future clinical use.

Adhesion of human gingival fibroblasts/Streptococcus mitis co-culture on the nanocomposite system Chitlac-nAg

Composite materials are increasingly used as dental restoration. In the field of biomaterials, infections remain the main reason of dental devices failure. Silver, in the form of nanoparticles (AgNPs), ions and salt, well known for its antimicrobial properties, is used in several medical applications in order to avoid bacterial infection. To reduce both bacterial adhesion to dental devices and cytotoxicity against eukaryotic cells, we coated BisGMA/TEGDMA methacrylic thermosets with a new material, Chitlac-nAg, formed by stabilized AgNPs with a polyelectrolyte solution containing Chitlac. Here we analyzed the proliferative and adhesive ability of human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) on BisGMA/TEGDMA thermosets uncoated and coated with AgNPs in a coculture model system with Streptococcus mitis. After 48 h, HGFs well adhered onto both surfaces, while S. mitis cytotoxic response was higher in the presence of AgNPs coated thermosets. After 24 h thermosets coated with Chitlac as well as those coated with Chitlac-nAg exerted a minimal cytotoxic effect on HGFs, while after 48 h LDH release raised up to 20 %. Moreover the presence of S. mitis reduced this release mainly when HGFs adhered to Chitlac-nAg coated thermosets. The reduced secretion of collagen type I was significant in the presence of both surfaces with the co-culture system even more when saliva is added. Integrin β1 localized closely to cell membranes onto Chitlac-nAg thermosets and PKCα translocated into nuclei. These data confirm that Chitlac-nAg have a promising utilization in the field of restorative dentistry exerting their antimicrobial activity due to AgNPs without cytotoxicity for eukaryotic cells.

LAMP proteins account for the maturation delay during the establishment of the Coxiella burnetii-containing vacuole

The obligate intracellular pathogen Coxiella burnetii replicates in a large phagolysosomal-like vacuole. Currently, both host and bacterial factors required for creating this replicative parasitophorous C. burnetii-containing vacuole (PV) are poorly defined. Here, we assessed the contributions of the most abundant proteins of the lysosomal membrane, LAMP-1 and LAMP-2, to the establishment and maintenance of the PV. Whereas these proteins were not critical for uptake of C. burnetii, they influenced the intracellular replication of C. burnetii. In LAMP-1/2 double-deficient fibroblasts as well as in LAMP-1/2 knock-down cells, C. burnetii establishes a significantly smaller, yet faster maturing vacuole, which harboured more bacteria. The accelerated maturation of PVs in LAMP double-deficient fibroblasts, which was partially or fully reversed by ectopic expression of LAMP-1 or LAMP-2, respectively, was characterized by an increased fusion rate with endosomes, lysosomes and bead-containing phagosomes, but not by different fusion kinetics with autophagy vesicles. These findings establish that LAMP proteins are critical for the maturation delay of PVs. Unexpectedly, neither the creation of the spacious vacuole nor the delay in maturation was found to be prerequisites for the intracellular replication of C. burnetii.