• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.142-145
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• 2002

A strict anaerobe, Prevotella melaninogenica is highly sensitive to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress such as exposure to oxygen or addition of hydrogen peroxide, increased 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (80HdG), a typical of oxidative DNA damage, and decreased the bacterial cell survival rate. We could detect the generation of reactive oxygen species in P. melaninogenica after exposure to oxygen. UVA irradiation also increased 80HdG in the bacterium. On the other hand, such oxidative stress did not increase 80HdG in a facultative anaerobe. These findings suggest that P. melaninogenica is a suitable material to study the biological effects of oxidative stress, to evaluate antioxidants, and to study the effects of oxygen or reactive oxygen species on molecular evolution.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.21.1-21.7
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• 2018

Metritis, the inflammation of the uterus caused by polymicrobial infections, is a prevalent and costly disease to the dairy industry as it decreases milk yield, survival, and the welfare of dairy cows. Although affected cows are treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics such as ceftiofur, endometrial and ovarian function are not fully recovered, which results in subfertility and infertility. According to culture-dependent studies, uterine pathogens include Escherichia coli, Trueperella pyogenes, Fusobacterium necrophorum, and Prevotella melaninogenica. Recent studies using high-throughput sequencing observed very low relative abundance of Escherichia coli, Trueperella pyogenes, and Prevotella melaninogenica in cows with metritis. Herein, we propose that metritis is associated with a dysbiosis of the uterine microbiota, which is characterized by high abundance of Bacteroides, Porphyromonas, and Fusobacterium.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.190-199
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• 2021

Despite evidence that bacteria-sensing Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are activated in salivary gland tissues of Sjogren syndrome (SS) patients, the role of oral bacteria in SS etiopathogenesis is unclear. We previously reported that two SS-associated oral bacteria, Prevotella melaninogenica (Pm) and Rothia mucilagenosa (Rm), oppositely regulate the expression of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) in human salivary gland (HSG) cells. Here, we elucidated the mechanisms underlying the differential regulation of MHC I expression by these bacteria. The ability of Pm and Rm to activate TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9 was examined using TLR reporter cells. HSG cells were stimulated by the TLR ligands, Pm, and Rm. The levels of MHC I expression, bacterial invasion, and viability of HSG cells were examined by flow cytometry. The hypoxic status of HSG cells was examined using Hypoxia Green. HSG cells upregulated MHC I expression in response to TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9 activation. Both Pm and Rm activated TLR2 and TLR9 but not TLR4. Rm-induced downregulation of MHC I strongly correlated with bacterial invasion and cell death. Rm-induced cell death was not rescued by inhibitors of the diverse cell death pathways but was associated with hypoxia. In conclusion, Pm upregulated MHC I likely through TLR2 and TLR9 activation, while Rm-induced hypoxia-associated cell death and the downregulation of MHC I, despite its ability to activate TLR2 and TLR9. These findings may provide new insight into how oral dysbiosis can contribute to salivary gland tissue damage in SS.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.476-481
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• 2017

Polyphenols are secondary metabolites produced by higher plants and have been used as antiallergic, anticancer, antihypertensive, antiinflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant agents. They are generally divided into flavonoids and non-flavonoids. The antimicrobial activity of flavonoids are stronger than that of non-flavonoids. The skeleton structures of flavonoids possessing antimicrobial activity are chalcone, flavan-3-ol (catechin), flavanone, flavone, flavonol and proanthocyanidin. The flavonols are shown antibacterial activity against several gram-positive bacteria (Actinomyces naeslundii, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative bacteria (Fusobacterium nucleatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella melaninogenica and Prevotella oralis). Among of non-flavonoids, caffeic acids, ferulic acids and gallic acids showed antimicrobial activity against gram-positive (Listeria monocytogenes and S. aureus) and gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). These are found to be more efficient against the E. coli, L. monocytogenes, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus than antibiotics such as gentamicin and streptomycin. The kaempferol and quercetin showed synergistic effect with ciprofloxacin and rifampicin against S. aureus and methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) acts synergistically with various ${\beta}-lactam$ antibiotics against MRSA. In particular, the epicatechin, epigallocatechin (EGC), EGCG and gallocatechin gallate from Korean green tea has antibacterial activity against MRSA clinical isolates and the combination of tea polyphenols and oxacillin was synergistic for all the clinical MRSA isolates.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.39-48
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• 2009

Recently there is much interest in the antibacterial activity of nano-sized silver particle (nanosilver) since silver is known to be safe and effective as disinfectant for a long time. Oral malodor is considered to originate in the oral cavity primarily as a result of production of malodorous compounds by oral bacteria. Major compounds responsible for oral malodor are volatile sulfur compounds, which is thought to be generated by the G(-) anaerobic bacteria found normally in the oral cavity, especially on the dorsum of the tongue. The purposes of this study were to investigate the effect of nanosilver on growth of oral malodor generating microorganisms, including Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella melaninogenica, Klebsiella pneumonia, and to determine the optimal culture condition of them. The results were as follows: 1. The optimal culture condition for P. melaninogenica was vacuum culture using desiccator after evacuation of air by vacuum pump in chopped beef meat media. 2. The growth of K. pneumonia was temporarily inhibited by nanosilver (5 ppm and 10 ppm). 3. The morphological alteration and cell damage caused by nanosilver were observed in K. pneumonia.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.34.1-34.16
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• 2021

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by dryness of the mouth and eyes. The glandular dysfunction in SS involves not only T cell-mediated destruction of the glands but also autoantibodies against the type 3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor or aquaporin 5 (AQP5) that interfere with the secretion process. Studies on the breakage of tolerance and induction of autoantibodies to these autoantigens could benefit SS patients. To break tolerance, we utilized a PmE-L peptide derived from the AQP5-homologous aquaporin of Prevotella melaninogenica (PmAqp) that contained both a B cell "E" epitope and a T cell epitope. Repeated subcutaneous immunization of C57BL/6 mice with the PmE-L peptide efficiently induced the production of Abs against the "E" epitope of mouse/human AQP5 (AQP5E), and we aimed to characterize the antigen specificity, the sequences of AQP5E-specific B cell receptors, and salivary gland phenotypes of these mice. Sera containing anti-AQP5E IgG not only stained mouse Aqp5 expressed in the submandibular glands but also detected PmApq and PmE-L by immunoblotting, suggesting molecular mimicry. Characterization of the AQP5E-specific autoantibodies selected from the screening of phage display Ab libraries and mapping of the B cell receptor repertoires revealed that the AQP5E-specific B cells acquired the ability to bind to the Ag through cumulative somatic hypermutation. Importantly, animals with anti-AQP5E Abs had decreased salivary flow rates without immune cell infiltration into the salivary glands. This model will be useful for investigating the role of anti-AQP5 autoantibodies in glandular dysfunction in SS and testing new therapeutics targeting autoantibody production.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.251-262
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• 2006

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the bacterial flora at the peri-implant sulcus of the orthodontic mini-implant placed in the alveolar mucosa with the bacterial flora at the adjacent healthy gingival sulcus. Methods: Two plaque samples from 7 patients were collected by inserting paper points into the sulcus between the mini-implant and ligature wire connected to the mini-implant head and inflamed alveolar mucosa, and from the gingival sulcus of a healthy tooth adjacent to the mini-implant. Results: Using 16S rDNA clone library, the 24 kinds of bacteria including Haemophilus aphrophilus, Sphingomonas species, Capnocytophaga species, Prevotella melaninogenica, Lachnospiraceae species, Porphyromonas species, Neisseria flava were identified only from the sulcus around the mini-implant. These bacteria constituted only 9.2% of total clones, and the bacteria identified from both the sulcus around mini-implants and the gingival sulcus constituted 80.4% of total clones. Of these bacteria, clones of Prevotella species, Atopobium rimae, Veillonella species, Streptococcus intermedius/constellatus, Streptococcus salivarius were more frequently isolated from the peri-implant sulcus. Conclusion: This study suggests that a broad epidemiological study is needed to find causative bacteria which induce inflammation from the peri-implant sulcus.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.211-217
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• 2020

Molecular mimicry is the most common mechanism that breaches self-tolerance. We previously identified autoantibodies to aquaporin-5 (AQP5) in the sera of patients with Sjögren's syndrome and found that the aquaporin of Prevotella melaninogenica (PmAqp), an oral commensal, is highly homologous to human AQP5. This study aimed to test whether PmAqp can induce anti-AQP5 autoantibodies via molecular mimicry. From the amino acid sequence of PmAqp, an immunizing peptide; i.e., PmE-L, was designed, which contained both the B cell epitope "E" and T cell epitope. C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice were subcutaneously immunized with linear or cyclic forms of PmE-L emulsified in incomplete Freund's adjuvant. The concentrations of the antibodies in sera were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Both linear and cyclic PmE-L induced high levels of antibodies against not only the immunized peptides but also autoantibodies against AQP5E and antibodies against PmE, a Pm homolog of AQP5E. In C57BL/6 mice; however, the cyclic form of PmE-L was more efficient than the linear form in inducing autoantibodies against AQP5E that contained a cyclic epitope. The levels of anti-PmE antibodies and anti-AQP5E autoantibodies showed a strong positive correlation (r = 0.95, p < 0.0005), suggesting molecular mimicry. Collectively, the mice produced anti-AQP5E autoantibodies in response to a PmAqp-derived peptide. This model proved to be useful for studying the mechanisms of autoantibody production by molecular mimicry.