Investigation of Antibacterial activities of Pristine Multi-walled Carbon Nanotube Against Periodontitis-Associated Bacteria and Imaging by Transmission Electron Microscopy: An in vitro Study

Objective: It is very important to prevent periodontitis, which is a common oral disease all over the world, with the use of non-toxic and strong antibacterial activities. With the rapid development of nanotechnology in recent years, nanomaterials are widely preferred in dentistry due to their biocompatible structure, durability, lightness and low toxicity. The aim of this study is to investigate the antibacterial activity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), with their strong antibacterial activity, low toxicity and high biocompatibility, against periodontitis-causing bacteria. Material and Methods: In this in vitro study, the antibacterial activity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) against Prevotella intermedia and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, oral pathogens that cause periodontitis, was evaluated by the agar well diffusion method, and ultrastructural changes were evaluated by TEM. Results: In TEM analyses, images of cells internalizing MWCNT were observed in similar patterns under all incubation conditions. Untreated oral pathogen cells have a smooth surface. The nuclei of the cells are distinct and centrally located, their cytoplasm is regular, and the cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane structure are seen as a whole. Both pathogens indicated antibacterial activity at different concentrations and exposure times of MWCNTs. At low concentrations (5 and 10µl) and prolonged exposure time (72 h), it exhibited significant antibacterial activity in both pathogens (P