DNA-scavenging nanoparticles for periodontitis

Cationic nanoparticles that scavenge cell-free DNA (cfDNA) could help treat periodontitis by decreasing activation of the innate immune receptor TLR9. In patient serum and saliva samples, cfDNA levels correlate with severity of periodontitis.

DNA-scavenging nanoparticles were generated by coating selenium-doped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles with cationic polyamidoamine dendrimers. In a human kidney cell line exposed to serum and saliva from periodontitis patients, damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) from primary human gingival cells, or microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPS) from Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, the DNA-scavenging nanoparticles decreased TLR9 signaling compared with no treatment...