A5015046953- Oral microbiology and periodontitis research
- Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing
- Dental Health and Care Utilization
- Antifungal resistance and susceptibility
- Infective Endocarditis Diagnosis and Management
- Endodontics and Root Canal Treatments
- Advanced Nanomaterials in Catalysis
- Streptococcal Infections and Treatments
- Antimicrobial Peptides and Activities
- Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
- Salivary Gland Disorders and Functions
- Gut microbiota and health
- Cleft Lip and Palate Research
- Dental materials and restorations
- Oral and gingival health research
- Oral Health Pathology and Treatment
- Bariatric Surgery and Outcomes
- Periodontal Regeneration and Treatments
- Biochemical and Structural Characterization
- Advanced Drug Delivery Systems
- Micro and Nano Robotics
- Craniofacial Disorders and Treatments
- Dental Erosion and Treatment
- Oral health in cancer treatment
- Neonatal and Maternal Infections
University of Pennsylvania
2016-2025
China Medical University
2011-2025
Center for Innovation
2020-2025
Temple University
2025
Huazhong University of Science and Technology
2022-2024
Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine
2024
Innovation Team (China)
2024
Rangsit University
2024
Zhengzhou University
2022-2024
Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital
2020-2023
Biofilms are surface-attached bacterial communities embedded within an extracellular matrix that create localized and protected microenvironments. Acidogenic oral biofilms can demineralize the enamel-apatite on teeth, causing dental caries (tooth decay). Current antimicrobials have low efficacy do not target protective acidic pH biofilm. Recently, catalytic nanoparticles were shown to disrupt but lacked a stabilizing coating required for clinical applications. Here, we report dextran-coated...
The oral microbiota plays an important role in the human and health, imbalances between microbes their hosts can lead to systemic diseases, chronic inflammation which is usually caused by bacteria contributes cancer, there may be a relationship squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, these relationships have not been thoroughly characterized. Accordingly, this study, we compared compositions tumor sites adjacent normal tissues buccal mucosal from 50 patients with OSCC using 16S rDNA...
Magnetically driven robots can perform complex functions in biological settings with minimal destruction. However, designed to damage deleterious biostructures could also have important impact. In particular, there is an urgent need for new strategies eradicate bacterial biofilms as we approach a post-antibiotic era. Biofilms are intractable and firmly attached structures ubiquitously associated drug-resistant infections destruction of surfaces. Existing treatments inadequate both kill...
Ferumoxytol is a nanoparticle formulation approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for systemic use to treat iron deficiency. Here, we show that, in addition, ferumoxytol disrupts intractable oral biofilms prevents tooth decay (dental caries) via intrinsic peroxidase-like activity. binds within biofilm ultrastructure generates free radicals from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), causing situ bacterial death cell membrane disruption extracellular polymeric substances matrix degradation. In...
Candida albicans is frequently detected with heavy infection by Streptococcus mutans in plaque-biofilms from children early-childhood caries (ECC). This cross-kingdom biofilm contains an extensive matrix of extracellular α-glucans that produced exoenzyme (GtfB) secreted S. mutans. Here, we report mannans located on the outer surface C. cell-wall mediates GtfB binding, enhancing glucan-matrix production and modulating bacterial-fungal association within biofilms formed vivo. Using...
Abstract The use of natural substance to ward off microbial infections has a long history. However, the large-scale production extracts often reduces antibacterial potency, thus limiting practical applications. Here we present strategy for converting organosulfur compounds into nano-iron sulfides that exhibit enhanced activity. We show compared garlic-derived an over 500-fold increase in efficacy kill several pathogenic and drug-resistant bacteria. Furthermore, our analysis reveals hydrogen...
Significance Dental caries remains an unresolved public health problem. The etiology is poorly understood, as the oral cavity harbors diverse communities of microorganisms. Using multiple imaging modalities on human teeth from patients with caries, we discovered a microbial community precisely arranged in corona-like architecture. Moreover, this organization mediated by pathogen Streptococcus mutans through production extracellular scaffold that directs positioning other microbes. We...
Fungal-bacterial interactions generate unique biofilms that cause many infections in humans. Candida albicans interact with Streptococcus mutans dental associated severe childhood tooth-decay, a prevalent pediatric oral disease. Current modalities are ineffective and primarily based on antimicrobial monotherapies despite the polymicrobial nature of infection. Here, we show combination clinically used topical antifungal fluconazole povidone iodine (PI) can completely suppress C. carriage...
Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal organism frequently detected in the oral cavity of children with severe early childhood caries (S-ECC). Previous studies suggested cariogenic potential C. albicans, vitro and vivo, further demonstrated its synergistic interactions Streptococcus mutans. In combination, 2 organisms are associated higher severity a rodent model. However, it remains unknown whether influences composition diversity entire bacterial community to promote S-ECC onset. With...
l-Arginine, a ubiquitous amino acid in human saliva, serves as substrate for alkali production by arginolytic bacteria. Recently, exogenous l-arginine has been shown to enhance the alkalinogenic potential of oral biofilm and destabilize its microbial community, which might help control dental caries. However, exposure may inflict additional changes milieu when bacteria are growing under cariogenic conditions. Here, we investigated how modulates development using mixed-species model...
Candida albicans, a major opportunistic fungal pathogen, is frequently found together with Streptococcus mutans in dental biofilms associated severe childhood caries (tooth decay), prevalent pediatric oral disease. However, the impact of this cross-kingdom relationship on C. albicans remains largely uncharacterized. Here, we employed novel quantitative proteomics approach conjunction transcriptomic profiling to unravel molecular pathways when cocultured S. mixed biofilms. RNA sequencing and...
Abstract Biofilms are comprised of bacterial-clusters (microcolonies) enmeshed in an extracellular matrix. Streptococcus mutans can produce exopolysaccharides (EPS)-matrix and assemble microcolonies with acidic microenvironments that cause tooth-decay despite the surrounding neutral-pH found oral cavity. How matrix influences pH bacterial activity locally remains unclear. Here, we simultaneously analyzed situ gene expression within intact biofilms measured impact damage to EPS-matrix. The...
Human dental caries is an intractable biofilm-associated disease caused by microbial interactions and dietary sugars on the host's teeth. Commensal bacteria help control opportunistic pathogens via bioactive products such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). However, high-sugar consumption disrupts homeostasis promotes pathogen accumulation in acidic biofilms that cause tooth-decay. Here, we exploit pathological (sugar-rich/acidic) conditions using a nanohybrid system to increase intrinsic H2O2...
Severe tooth decay has been associated with iron deficiency anemia that disproportionally burdens susceptible populations. Current modalities are insufficient in severe cases where pathogenic dental biofilms rapidly accumulate, requiring new antibiofilm approaches. Here, we show ferumoxytol, a Food and Drug Administration-approved nanoparticle formulation for treating deficiency, exerts an alternative therapeutic activity via the catalytic activation of hydrogen peroxide, which targets...
Early childhood caries, a virulent-form of dental is painful, difficult, and costly to treat that has been associated with high levels Streptococcus mutans (Sm) Candida albicans (Ca) in plaque-biofilms on teeth. These microorganisms appear develop symbiotic cross-kingdom interaction amplifies the virulence plaque-biofilms. Although biofilm studies reveal synergistic bacterial-fungal association, how these organisms modulate formation enhance its presence saliva remain largely unknown. Here,...
Considerable evidence has linked periodontitis (PD) to hypertension (HTN), but the nature behind this connection is unclear. Dysbiosis of oral microbiota leading PD known aggravate different systematic diseases, alteration in HTN and their impacts on blood pressure (BP) remains be discovered.To characterize alterations gut roles HTN.We performed a cross-sectional (95 participants 39 controls) 6-month follow-up study (52 26 analyze HTN. Saliva, subgingival plaques, feces were collected for...
Abstract Fungal pathogens have been designated by the World Health Organization as microbial threats of highest priority for global health. It remains a major challenge to improve antifungal efficacy at site infection while avoiding off‐target effects, fungal spreading, and drug tolerance. Here, nanozyme‐based microrobotic platform is developed that directs localized catalysis with microscale precision achieve targeted rapid killing. Using electromagnetic field frequency modulation...
Dental caries is the most common human disease caused by oral biofilms despite widespread use of fluoride as primary anticaries agent. Recently, an FDA-approved iron oxide nanoparticle (ferumoxytol, Fer) has shown to kill and degrade caries-causing through catalytic activation hydrogen peroxide. However, Fer cannot interfere with enamel acid demineralization. Here, we show notable synergy when combined stannous (SnF
Abstract Natural antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and enzymes (AMEs) are promising non-antibiotic candidates against resistance but suffer from low efficiency poor stability. Here, we develop peptide nanozymes which mimic the mode of action AMPs AMEs through de novo design assembly. Through modelling a minimal building block IHIHICI is proposed by combining critical amino acids in hydrophobic isoleucine to conduct Experimental validations reveal that assemble into helical β-sheet nanotubes with...
Novel polymer nanoparticle formulation improved drug loading, demonstrated zero-order release, and amplified anti-biofilm activity <italic>via</italic> increased bacterial membrane localization.
Streptococcus mutans is a biofilm-forming oral pathogen commonly associated with dental caries. Clinical studies have shown that S. often detected Candida albicans in early childhood Although the C. presence has been to enhance bacterial accumulation biofilms, influence of on fungal biology this mixed-species relationship remains largely uncharacterized. Therefore, we aimed investigate how influences biofilm development and coexistence. Using newly established haploid model albicans, found...