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Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), a quaternary ammonium compound, which is present in mouthwash, is effective against bacteria, fungi, and enveloped viruses. This study was conducted to explore the antiviral effect of CPC on SARS-CoV-2. There are few reports on the effect of CPC against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 at low concentrations such as 0.001%-0.005% (10-50 mu g/mL). Interestingly, we found that low concentrations of CPC suppressed the infectivity of human isolated SARS-CoV-2 strains (Wuhan, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma) even in saliva. Furthermore, we demonstrated that CPC shows anti-SARS-CoV-2 effects without disrupting the virus envelope, using sucrose density analysis and electron microscopic examination. In conclusion, this study provided experimental evidence that CPC may inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection even at lower concentrations.

The surface topography of a material can influence osteoclast activity. However, the surface structural factors that promote osteoclast activity have not yet been investigated in detail. Therefore, we investigated osteoclastogenesis by testing various defined patterns with different dimensions and shapes. The systematic patterns, made of a cyclo-olefin polymer, were prepared at a micron-, submicron-, and nano-scale with a groove, hole, or pillar shape with a 1:1 pitch ratio. RAVV264.7 cells were cultured on these patterns in the presence of the receptor activator of NF-kappa B ligand (RANKL). Osteoclast formation was induced in the order: pillar > groove >= hole. The two-dimensional factors also indicated that submicron-sized patterns strongly induced osteoclast formation. The optimal pillar dimension for osteoclast formation was 500 nm in diameter and 2 mu m in height Furthermore, we observed two types of characteristic actin structure, i.e., belt-like structures with small hollow circles and isolated ring-like structures, which formed on or around the pillars depending on size and height. Furthermore, resorption pits were observed mainly on the top of calcium phosphate-coated pillars. Thus, osteoclasts prefer convex shapes, such as pillars for differentiation and resorption. Our results indicate that osteoclastogenesis can be controlled by designing surfaces with specific morphologies.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are potentially important biomaterials because of their chemical, physical, and biologicalproperties. Our research indicates that CNTs exhibit highcompatibility with bone tissue. The guided bone regeneration(GBR) technique is commonly applied to reconstruct alveolarbone and treat peri-implant bone defects. In GBR, bone defects arecovered with a barrier membrane to prevent the entry ofnonosteogenic cells such as epithelial cells andfibroblasts. Thebarrier membrane also maintains a space for new bone formation.However, the mechanical and biological properties of materialspreviously used in clinical practice sometimes delayed boneregeneration. In this study, we developed a CNT-based membranefor GBR exhibiting high strength to provide a space for bone formation and provide cellular shielding to induce osteogenesis. TheCNT membrane was made via the dispersion of single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) in hyaluronic acid solution followed byfiltration.The CNT membrane assumed a nanostructure surface due to the bundled SWCNTs and exhibited high strength and hydrophilicityafter oxidation. In addition, the membrane promoted the proliferation of osteoblasts but not nonosteogenic cells. CNT membraneswere used to cover experimental bone defects made in rat calvaria. At 8 weeks after surgery, more extensive bone formation wasobserved in membrane-covered defects compared with bone defects not covered with membrane. Almost no diffusion of CNTs was observed around the membrane. These results indicate that the CNT membrane has adequate strength, stability, and surface characteristics for osteoblasts, and its shielding properties promote bone formation. Demonstration of the safety and osteogenicpotential of the CNT membranes through further animal studies should facilitate their clinical application in GBR

Food texture is a very important factor for elderly persons, children, and patients who have difficulty swallowing. Collagen and its hydrolysis product, gelatin, are used as ingredients in foods, dietary supplements, and medical materials. In this study, we extracted atelocollagen from nonedible porcine tissues, including ear, nose, and skin, and analyzed the biophysical properties of each tissue. Extracted whole auricle collagen (AEC) showed superior springiness, while only the skin region of auricle collagen (ASC) showed superior hardness, springiness, and brittleness. Body skin collagen showed high hardness but low springiness. In a shear stress test, ASC gels showed high shear strength, and their strains coincided with hardness in a textural examination, while nose and AEC showed low maximum strains. In viscosity, the auricular collagens showed higher viscosity regardless of the region of the ear. Fibril formation in collagen from each tissue and organ varied a great deal in width and morphology. We found that the same type of collagen had a unique texture and viscosity under physiological conditions depending on the tissue or organ of extraction. The results show that the collagen extracted from each organ has a unique texture and unique possibilities to serve as an ingredient in food or supplements.

A photochemical reaction mediated by light-activated molecules (photosensitizers) in photodynamic therapy (PDT) causes molecular oxygen to be converted into highly reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are beneficial for cancer therapy. As the active oxygen consumer and the primary regulator of apoptosis, mitochondria are known as an important target for optimizing PDT outcomes. However, most of the clinically used photosensitizers exhibited a poor tumor accumulation profile as well as lack of mitochondria targeting ability. Therefore, by applying a nanocarrier platform, mitochondria-specific delivery of photosensitizers can be materialized. The present research develops an effective mitochondria-targeting liposome-based nanocarrier system (MITO-Porter) encapsulating a pi-extended porphyrin-type photosensitizer (rTPA), which results in a significant in vivo antitumor activity. A single PDT treatment of the rTPA-MITO-Porter resulted in a dramatic tumor inhibition against both human and murine tumors that had been xenografted in a mouse model. Furthermore, depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane was observed, implying the damage of the mitochondrial membrane due to the photochemical reaction that occurred specifically in the mitochondria of tumor cells. The findings presented herein serve to verify the significance of the mitochondria-targeted nanocarrier system for advancing the in vivo PDT effectivity in cancer therapy regardless of tumor type.

Antibacterial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) utilizes reactive oxygen species such as singlet oxygen (1O2) and free radicals via photosensitizers, which are light and light-sensitive agents, to reduce bacterial infections. It has been utilized as a treatment for dental diseases in place of antibiotic therapies. However, aPDT does not always cause the desired therapeutic effect due to the instability of organic photosensitizers and the formation of bacterial biofilms. To promote the antibacterial and antibiofilm effects of aPDT, we have proposed a lysozyme (Lys)-gold nanoclusters (Au NCs)/rose bengal (Lys-Au NCs/RB) conjugate as a novel photosensitizer. This conjugate was found to effectively impede the growth of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria when exposed to white light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation. The photoexcited Lys-Au NCs/RB showed significantly higher antibacterial activity than photoexcited Lys-Au NCs or RB alone. The synergistic effect is a result of the combination of Lys (an antibacterial protein) and enhanced 1O2 generation related to resonance energy transfer (RET) in the Au NCs/RB conjugate. Photoexcited Lys-Au NCs/RB increased the effects of aPDT in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, the photoexcited Lys-Au NCs/RB successfully decreased Streptococcus mutans biofilm formation. However, in contrast, it did not have a negative effect on the proliferation, adhesion, or spread of mammalian cells, indicating low cytotoxicity. Lys-Au NCs/RB is a novel photosensitizer with low cytotoxicity that is capable of bacterial inactivation and the suppression of biofilm formation, and could help to improve dental treatments in the future.

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (a-PDT) is a promising anti-infective technique for generation of singlet oxygen (1O2) to target dental disease. However, conventional organic photosensitizers have problems for clinical use in terms of cytotoxicity, quenching of a-PDT activity by self-dimerization, and the lack of long-term antibacterial effect. We herein propose silver nanoclusters/rose bengal nanocomposite (AgNCs/RB) as a novel photosensitizer with two primary antibacterial effects: (1) 1O2 generation by irradiated RB and (2) Ag+ ion release from AgNCs. AgNCs/RB irradiated with white light-emitting diode (LED) for a short irradiation time of 1 min significantly decreased the bacterial turbidity of Streptococcus mutans, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (P < 0.05). In SEM, TEM and LIVE/DEAD staining images, photoexcited AgNCs/RB reduced S. mutans colonization, destroyed the cell membrane, and increased the number of dead cells. The antibacterial efficiency of photoexcited AgNCs/RB was greater than that of AgNCs or RB alone (P < 0.05), suggesting a synergistic effect of 1O2 and Ag+ ions from photoexcited AgNCs/RB. By contrast, photoexcited AgNCs/RB did not affect WST-8 and LDH activities and morphology of NIH3T3 mammalian cells, indicating low cytotoxicity. Interestingly, the antibacterial activity of AgNCs/RB on S. mutans was maintained even after the cessation of LED irradiation, indicating a long-term antibacterial effect due to released Ag+ ions. The present AgNCs/RB photosensitizers provide effective synergistic antibacterial effects for dental a-PDT via 1O2 and Ag+ ions coupled with low cytotoxicity.

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (a-PDT) is a promising anti-infective technique for generation of singlet oxygen (1O2) to target dental disease. However, conventional organic photosensitizers have problems for clinical use in terms of cytotoxicity, quenching of a-PDT activity by self-dimerization, and the lack of long-term antibacterial effect. We herein propose silver nanoclusters/rose bengal nanocomposite (AgNCs/RB) as a novel photosensitizer with two primary antibacterial effects: (1) 1O2 generation by irradiated RB and (2) Ag+ ion release from AgNCs. AgNCs/RB irradiated with white light-emitting diode (LED) for a short irradiation time of 1 min significantly decreased the bacterial turbidity of Streptococcus mutans, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (P < 0.05). In SEM, TEM and LIVE/DEAD staining images, photoexcited AgNCs/RB reduced S. mutans colonization, destroyed the cell membrane, and increased the number of dead cells. The antibacterial efficiency of photoexcited AgNCs/RB was greater than that of AgNCs or RB alone (P < 0.05), suggesting a synergistic effect of 1O2 and Ag+ ions from photoexcited AgNCs/RB. By contrast, photoexcited AgNCs/RB did not affect WST-8 and LDH activities and morphology of NIH3T3 mammalian cells, indicating low cytotoxicity. Interestingly, the antibacterial activity of AgNCs/RB on S. mutans was maintained even after the cessation of LED irradiation, indicating a long-term antibacterial effect due to released Ag+ ions. The present AgNCs/RB photosensitizers provide effective synergistic antibacterial effects for dental a-PDT via 1O2 and Ag+ ions coupled with low cytotoxicity.

Carbon nanohorns (CNHs), formed by a rolled graphene structure and terminating in a cone, are promising nanomaterials for the development of a variety of biological applications. Here we demonstrate that alkaline phosphatase activity is dramatically increased by coculture of human monocyte derived macrophages (hMDMs) and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) in the presence of CNHs. CNHs were mainly localized in the lysosome of macrophages more than in hMSCs during coculturing. At the same time, the amount of Oncostatin M (OSM) in the supernatant was also increased during incubation with CNHs. Oncostatin M (OSM) from activated macrophage has been reported to induce osteoblast differentiation and matrix mineralization through STAT3. These results suggest that the macrophages engulfed CNHs and accelerated the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into the osteoblast via OSM release. We expect that the proof-of-concept on the osteoblast differentiation capacity by CNHs will allow future studies focused on CNHs as ideal therapeutic materials for bone regeneration.

Parotid glands of experimental animals fed a liquid diet are reported to show atrophy (Hall and Schneyer 1964; Wilborn and Schneyer 1970; Hand and Ho 1981; Scott et al. 1990; Scott and Gunn 1991). To clarify whether apoptosis and proliferation of acinar cells participate in atrophy of rat parotid glands induced by liquid diet, rats were fed a liquid diet and compared to pellet-fed controls. Parotid glands were removed at 3, 7, 14 or 21 days, weighed, and examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and studied immunohistochemically for cleaved-caspase-3 (Casp-3), a marker of apoptotic cells, and 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU), a marker for proliferating cells. Body weights of experimental rats fed liquid diets were not significantly different from controls fed pellet diets; however weights of experimental parotid glands were smaller than those of controls. In the experimental parotid glands, structures like apoptotic bodies were histologically observed in acini at each time point; more Casp-3-positive acinar cells were identified in experimental parotid glands than in the controls on days 3, 7, and 14. Experimental glands showed fewer BrdU-positive acinar cells at each time point. TEM confirmed typical apoptotic acinar cells in the atrophic glands. These findings suggest that increased acinar cell apoptosis and reduced acinar cell proliferation occur in atrophic parotid glands of rats fed a liquid diet.

The cell adhesion in a multiwalled carbon nanotube-coated collagen sponge (MWCNT-coated sponge) was investigated. Immediately after seeding, the cells adhered to the inner surface of the MWCNT-coated sponge, and a significantly larger number of cells were observed there than for a pure collagen sponge used as control. On the MWCNT-coated sponge, the cells appeared favorable adhesion and spread in the early stages in the center part of the sponge which cells rarely attached without MWCNT-coating. It was suggested that the physical structure of MWCNTs was effective for initial adhesion of cells from the result of serum-free culture. MWCNT-coating makes the material a suitable 3D scaffold for cell culturing, as opposed to other scaffold systems where such an effect is not seen.