Antibacterial Effects of Silica Nanoparticles Loading Nano-silver and Chlorhexidine in Root Canals Infected by Enterococcus faecalis

Yiyi Wang; Linxin Fang; Peiling Wang; Lu Qin; Yanmin Jia; Yingchun Cai; Fei Liu; Huoxiang Zhou; Suping Wang

doi:10.1016/j.joen.2024.11.004

Antibacterial Effects of Silica Nanoparticles Loading Nano-silver and Chlorhexidine in Root Canals Infected by Enterococcus faecalis

J Endod. 2024 Nov 13:S0099-2399(24)00595-8. doi: 10.1016/j.joen.2024.11.004. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yiyi Wang¹, Linxin Fang², Peiling Wang¹, Lu Qin¹, Yanmin Jia¹, Yingchun Cai³, Fei Liu⁴, Huoxiang Zhou⁵, Suping Wang⁶

Affiliations

¹ Stomatology Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China; The Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China.
² The State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan430000, China.
³ Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
⁴ Stomatology Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China.
⁵ Laboratory of Microbiology and Immunology, Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ Stomatology Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39547456
DOI: 10.1016/j.joen.2024.11.004

Abstract

Introduction: The persistence of microbial infection can lead to endodontic failure. Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) is acknowledged to be a closely associated bacterium. This study investigated the antimicrobial effects of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (nMS) carrying nano-silver and chlorhexidine (nMS-nAg-Chx) on E. faecalis.

Methods: Analyses were conducted to assess the antimicrobial efficacy of nMS-nAg-Chx towards planktonic E. faecalis, including the zone of inhibition, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), and growth curves. The measurement of lactic acid, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), live-dead bacteria staining, and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) were done to further investigate its anti-biofilm effect. Colony forming unit (CFU) and SEM were used to assess its efficacy in infected root canals.

Results: The growth of planktonic E. faecalis was suppressed with a MIC value of 25 μg/mL (P＜0.05). nMS-nAg-Chx concentration-dependently inhibited biofilm formation of E. faecalis with the reduction of lactic acid (P < 0.05), sparse biofilm structure, reduced percentage of viable bacteria (P < 0.05), and suppressed expression of ebpR, gelE, ace, and efa genes (P < 0.05). The seven-day sealing of nMS-nAg-Chx resulted in a notable reduction in bacterial counts compared to the saline control group in the E. faecalis infected root canals (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: NMS-nAg-Chx effectively inhibits E. faecalis and removes its biofilm from infected human root canals. It may be used for endodontic treatments in the control of E. faecalis bacteria as an intracanal medication.