Root Canal Disinfection Using Highly Effective Aggregation-Induced Emission Photosensitizer

Abstract

Root canal (RC) therapy is the primary treatment of dental-pulp and periapical diseases. The mechanical method and chemical irrigation have limitations in RC therapy. Much attention has focused on exploring more controllable and efficacious antimicrobial methods. Although the introduction of photodynamic therapy (PDT) has provided the ideas for RC debridement, the problems of low photosensitive efficiency and nonsignificant germicidal potency of traditional photosensitizers (e.g., methylene blue) have not been solved. Since the concept of "aggregation-induced emission" (AIE) was proposed, optimization of photosensitizers has been boosted considerably. Herein, an AIE photosensitizer, DPA-SCP, with a strong ability to generate singlet oxygen, is proposed for use as an antibacterial application in infected RCs. The antimicrobial activity of DPA-SCP against Enterococcus faecalis suspensions was tested. To explore the antibacterial ability of this photosensitizer against bacterial-biofilm colonization on the inner walls of RCs, we established a model of bacterial biofilm infection. PDT mediated by DPA-SCP had a significant germicidal effect on E. faecalis suspensions and 21-day biofilms in human RCs. PDT mediated by DPA-SCP could achieve efficiency equivalent to that observed using 1% NaOCl, and lead to no significant change in the dentin surface, chemical corrosion, or cytotoxicity.

Successive Detection of Zinc Ion and Citrate Using a Schiff Base Chemosensor for Enhanced Prostate Cancer Diagnosis in Biosystems

“…SEM images were taken for the probe TAT, TAT-Zn 2+ complex formation, and TAT-Zn 2+ -citrate aggregation to further prove the formation of aggregation during citrate titration, showing a well-defined structure with highly ordered molecular arrangements after citrate addition (Figure S5A–D). Essentially, the enhanced emission at the aggregation state mainly originates from the restriction of intramolecular rotation, that is, the physical constraint can prevent the non-radiative decay possibility and activates the radiative decay, i.e., emission. − …”

Nanoarchitectonics-Based Materials as a Promising Strategy in the Treatment of Endodontic Infections

“…Specifically, for teeth with periapical lesions exceeding 5 mm, the success rates have been reported to vary between 38% and 80% [ 10 , 11 ]. For a long time, many studies have focused on how to improve the debridement of the root canal system and the outcome of root canal treatment [ 12 , 13 ].…”

AIE-active luminogens as highly efficient free-radical ROS photogenerator for image-guided photodynamic therapy

“…Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) photosensitizers have drawn great attention in image-guided PDT, since the restriction of intramolecular motion (RIM) can decrease the thermal deactivation of their excited energy, resulting in bright uorescence and enhanced photosensitivity in the aggregated state. [17][18][19][20][21][22][23] Recently, a feasible strategy based on strong intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) in electron-rich anion-p + AIEgens was developed to design a type I photosensitizer, in order to reduce the oxygen dependence in PDT. 24 In addition, AIEgens with "off-on" uorescence could realize higher-delity imaging compared to ACQ uorophores, especially in terms of decreasing false uorescence signals.…”