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NIR-PAT² uses an antibody linked to a light-sensitive dye to find and bind only to P. gingivalis, the key bacterium that drives gum disease, and destroys it when exposed to near-infrared light. This targeted attack removes the harmful bacterium while leaving good bacteria untouched, helping restore a healthy balance in the oral microbiome. Credit: Kazuhide Sato et al.,Journal of Translational Medicine, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have created an innovative treatment for periodontitis that targets and eliminates harmful bacteria while preserving beneficial oral microbes essential for health. The findings were published in the Journal of Translational Medicine.
Oral health relies on a diverse and balanced microbial community. Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) is a keystone pathogen that triggers inflammation and disrupts this balance. Such disruption can damage the bone supporting the teeth and eventually lead to tooth loss.
“Current treatments for periodontitis, including antibiotics and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT), eliminate both pathogenic and beneficial oral bacteria,” said Kazuhide Sato, one of the corresponding authors and a lecturer at Nagoya University.
“These approaches often disrupt the entire oral microbial ecosystem and can also release lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an endotoxin that may exacerbate inflammation.”
To address these challenges, researchers from Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, including first author Hiroshi Maruyama, Professor Hideharu Hibi, and corresponding authors Sato and Kiyoshi Sakai, adapted near-infrared photoimmunotherapy, a technique originally developed for cancer treatment. This method uses an antibody-dye compound that binds to target cells and is activated by near-infrared light.
Expanding on this therapy, the team developed a method using IgY, an antibody from egg yolks of hens immunized against P. gingivalis. Because IgY can be produced in large quantities at low cost, it offers significant clinical potential.
The researchers evaluated this new approach, called near-infrared photo-antibacterial targeting therapy (NIR-PAT²), in human cell cultures and mice to eliminate P. gingivalis while preserving a healthy oral environment, comparing its performance with conventional therapies.
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