Chengfei Zhang

The University of Hong Kong | HKU · Faculty of Dentistry

Background and objective The effect of probiotics on oral health maintenance in orthodontic patients remains controversial. The aim of the study is to systematically review and assess the effects of probiotics on the oral health and microbiome of patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. Search methods and selection criteria Databases including P...

Oral diseases are a prevalent global health problem that are primarily characterized by microbial infections, inflammation, and destruction of oral tissues. Maintaining good oral health is essential for a high quality of life, but the effective treatment of oral diseases and the regeneration of lost dental tissues remain challenging. Hydrogels have...

Aim: Prevascularization is vital to accelerate functional blood circulation establishment in transplanted engineered tissue constructs. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) or mural cells could promote the survival of implanted endothelial cells (ECs) and enhance the stabilization of newly formed blood vessels. However, the dynamic cell-cell interactions...

Three-dimensional (3D)-printed scaffolds are a new strategy to fabricate biomaterials for treating bone defects. Here, using a 3D-printing technique, we fabricated scaffolds consisting of gelatin (Gel), sodium alginate (SA), and 58S bioactive glass (58S BG). To evaluate mechanical properties and biocompatibility of Gel/SA/58S BG scaffolds, the degr...

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on dentin hypersensitivity (DH) in periodontally compromised patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. Methods: This triple-blinded randomised controlled trial included 143 teeth with DH from 23 periodontally compromised patients. Teeth on one side of the denta...

Unlabelled: Cell-based neural regeneration is challenging due to the difficulty in obtaining sufficient neural stem cells with clinical applicability. Stem cells from apical papilla (SCAPs) originating from embryonic neural crests with high neurogenic potential could be a promising cell source for neural regeneration. This study aimed to investiga...

Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Candida albicans (C. albicans) are prominent microbes associated with rapid and aggressive caries. In the present study, we investigated the antimicrobial efficacy, cytotoxicity, and mechanism of toluidine blue O (TBO)-mediated antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) and potassium iodide (KI). The dependence o...

Macrophages exhibit diverse functions within various tissues during the inflammatory response, and the physical properties of tissues also modulate the characteristics of macrophages. However, the underlying N6-methyladenosine (m6A)-associated molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Accordingly, we examined the potential role of m6A in macrophage acti...

Introduction Stem cells from apical papilla (SCAPs) display potent neuroregenerative potential by secreting neurotrophic factors and differentiating into neuronal-like cells, which are regulated by local niches. This study aimed to explore the interactions between SCAP-derived neuronal cell spheroids and SCAPs under various microenvironments in a p...

T-cell-mediated immunity is crucial in the immunopathology of periodontitis. The restoration of the equilibrium between the T helper cell 17 (Th17) and regulatory T cell (Treg) subsetsby extrcellular vesicles (EVs) obtained from human bone marrow stem cells (hBMSCs) promotes new bone formation and suppresses inflammation. Uncovering the functions o...

Cell-based neural regeneration is challenging due to the difficulty in obtaining sufficient neural stem cells with clinical applicability. SCAPs originating from embryonic neural crest with high neurogenic potential could be a promising cell source for neural regeneration. This study aimed to investigate whether the formation of 3D spheres can prom...

Stem cells from apical papilla (SCAPs) are one of the widely investigated candidates. With the treatment of a small molecule cocktail, SCAPs can be successfully induced into neural lineages. Conclusions: The results suggest that the small molecule cocktail reprogramming SCAP into neural lineages from neural progenitor-like cells to neuronal cells...

The radical treatment of neurological impairments remains a major clinical challenge. Stem cells with high neural differentiation ability delivered by electroconductive hydrogel scaffolds have demonstrated promising applications in neural tissue regeneration. However, there are still challenges in designing bioactive scaffolds with good biocompatib...

Complete regeneration of dental pulp tissue is the main focus of procedures in regenerative endodontics. The two major strategies currently under exploration are tissue engineering-based pulp regeneration and pulp revascularization. The pulp regeneration strategies based on tissue engineering rely on three key elements: autologous/exogenous dental...

Human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs) play a notable role in periodontal tissue homeostasis and regeneration. However, the effect of Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (Pg-LPS) on the proliferation of hPDLCs remains unclear. The present study investigated the effects of Pg-LPS on the proliferation profile of hPDLCs, and the involvement...

Biofunctional materials with nanomechanical parameters similar to bone tissue may promote the adherence, migration, proliferation, and differentiation of pre-osteoblasts. In this study, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) nanoporous scaffold (DNA-NPS) was synthesized by the polymerization of rectangular and double-crossover (DX) DNA tiles. The diagonally p...

The limited neurogenic potential of adult stem cells and their non‐specific lineage differentiation pose major challenges in cell‐replacement therapy for neurological disorders. In our previous study, we demonstrated that the neurogenic potential of stem cells from apical papilla (SCAPs) was significantly improved upon induction with a small molecu...

Background Maintaining the stability and maturation of blood vessels is of paramount importance for the vessels to carry out their physiological function. Smooth muscle cells (SMCs), pericytes, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are involved in the maturation process of the newly formed vessels. The aim of this study was to investigate whether trans...

Objectives Recently, a new strategy has been developed to directly reprogram one cell type towards another targeted cell type using small molecule compounds. Human fibroblasts have been chemically reprogrammed into neuronal cells, Schwann cells and cardiomyocyte-like cells by different small molecule combinations. This study aimed to explore whethe...

DNA-nanotechnology-based nano-architecture scaffolds based on circular strands were designed in the form of DNA nanowires (DNA-NWs) as a polymer of DNA-triangles. Circularizing a scaffold strand (84-NT) was the critical step followed by annealing with various staple strands to make stiff DNA-triangles. Atomic force microcopy (AFM), and native polya...

Objectives The aim of this study is to investigate the underlying mechanism of the recovery of periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs) sequentially exposed to inflammation and mechanical loading. Materials and Methods We divided PDLCs into four groups: control; compressive force (CF) alone (2.0 g/cm²); lipopolysaccharides (LPS) pre‐treatment (0.1 μg/ml...

Background and Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the effect of optimized irrigation with photon‐induced photoacoustic streaming (PIPS) activation of different irrigants (distilled water or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid [EDTA]) on smear layer removal, dentin microhardness, attachment morphology, and survival of stem cells of the apical papil...

Stem cell-based therapy may provide a novel approach for neural tissue regeneration. A small molecule cocktail-based culture protocol was previously shown to enhance neurogenic differentiation of stem cells from dental tissues. The present study aimed to investigate the early phase of small molecule-induced neurogenic differentiation of stem cells...

Bone repair is a complex and multifactorial regulatory process, and achieving precise and efficient bone regeneration is a fundamental goal of bone tissue engineering. Promoting the synergistic effects of cell recruitment, immunomodulation, angiogenesis, and osteogenesis is a feasible strategy to augment bone repair. In this work, the multifunction...

Nanomaterials are excellent drug delivery systems, yet, they must be functionalized in a manner compatible with the biological environment. Regarding delivery of the payloads, it is critical to monitor the nanocarrier’s biocompatibility and the ability to control its drug encapsulation and release, as well as targeting. The current challenges inclu...

Introduction The transplantation of stem cells/tissue constructs into root canal space is a promising strategy for regenerating lost pulp tissue. However, the root canal system, which is cone shaped with a taper from the larger coronal end to the smaller apical end, limits the vascular supply and, therefore, the regenerative capacity. The current s...

Purpose: Dactinomycin (DCTM) is a highly cytotoxic hydrophobic drug requiring robust nanomaterials for uniformed water dispersion and safe delivery to tumor site avoiding exposure to healthy cells. Methods: DNA triangulation produces sturdier two-dimensional nanostructures through the polymerization of DNA-triangles by sticky ends cohesion in the...

Besides extracellular deposition of amyloid beta and formation of phosphorylated tau in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), the pathogenesis of AD is also thought to involve mitochondrial dysfunctions and altered neurotransmission systems. However, none of these components can describe the diverse cognitive, behavioural, and psych...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder worldwide and causes severe financial and social burdens. Despite much research on the pathogenesis of AD, the neuropathological mechanisms remain obscure and current treatments have proven ineffective. In the past decades, transgenic rodent models have been used to try to unrav...

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the possible crosstalk between LPS/toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and ephrinB2 signaling in mediating osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs.Materials and methodsHuman periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs) were harvested and treated with different concentrations of LPS under osteogenic induction. qPCR, alka...

Osteo/odontogenic differentiation is a key process of human stem cells from apical papilla (SCAP) in tooth root development. Emerging evidence indicates microRNAs (miRNAs) play diverse roles in osteogenesis. However, their functions in osteo/odontogenic differentiation of SCAP require further elucidation. To investigate the role of miRNA in SCAP os...

Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) are considered one of the most attractive cell sources for tissue engineering due to their easy acquisition with no donor morbidity, ready availability, ability to selfrenew with high proliferation, capacity for multilineage differentiation and immunomodulatory functions. To date, SHED have be...

Regenerative dentistry has come a long way from pulp capping to pulp regeneration research, which aims to regenerate the pulp-dentin complex and restore its functions compromised by pulp injury and/or inflammation. Because of unique anatomic limitations of the tooth structure, engineering a suitable microenvironment that facilitates angio/vasculoge...

Introduction: Incorporating fully assembled microvascular networks into bioengineered dental pulp constructs can significantly enhance functional blood flow and tissue survival upon transplantation. Endothelial cells (ECs), cellular building blocks of vascular tissue, play an essential role in the process of prevascularization. However, obtaining...

Post-implantation cell survival and angio-/vasculogenesis are critical for the success of cell-based regenerative strategies. The current study aimed to overexpress B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) gene in dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and examine the anti-apoptotic and angio-/vasculogenic effects both in-vitro and in-vivo. DPSCs were transduced with Bcl...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.jpha.2020.10.003.].

Low-level laser irradiation (LLLI) shows effects in orthodontic pain relief and periodontal inflammation control. The aim of this article is to investigate the analgesic and inflammation-modulatory effects of low-level laser irradiation among orthodontic patients with compromised periodontium. A randomised controlled trial with split-mouth design w...

Objectives: To examine the effects of hypoxia preconditioning by hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) stabilization on post implantation cell survival of stem cells from human deciduous teeth (SHED). Methods: SHED were preconditioned to hypoxic environment by knocking down prolyl hydroxylase domain-containing protein 2 (PHD2) using target spec...

Background: Alveolar bone loss is a frequent occurrence. Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) which have invasive accessibility and high osteogenic potential is a promising source for cell-based bone regeneration. EphrinB2 is involved in bone homeostasis and osteogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and mechanism of ephrinB2 over...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of ephrinB2 gene‑transfected canine periodontal ligament stem cells (cPDLSCs) on the regulation of osteogenic differentiation. cPDLSCs were transfected with a transgenic null‑control green fluorescent protein (GFP) vector (termed Vector‑cPDLSCs) or with NFNB2 GFP‑Blasticidin (termed EfnB2‑cPDL...

Objective: To investigate the in vitro cytocompatibility and osteogenic potential of an experimental calcium silicate-based cement and the inflammatory response in human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs). Methods: Cellular responses, osteogenic-related gene expression, and the production of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin (I...

Bone remodeling is a strictly regulated dynamic process that cycles between bone formation and resorption, and interleukin-17 (IL-17) critically orchestrates the activation and differentiation of both osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) within their native environment receive biochemical stimuli from surrounding cells that in...

Abstract Accumulating evidence demonstrates that pre-vascularization of tissue-engineered constructs can significantly enhance their survival and engraftment upon transplantation. Endothelial cells (ECs), the basic component of vasculatures, are indispensable to the entire process of pre-vascularization. However, the source of ECs still poses an is...

Objectives: To promote cellular adaptation under stress condition through HIF-1α stabilization in stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED). Methods: Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) stabilization in SHED was achieved by knockdown of prolyl hydroxylase domain-containing protein 2 (PHD2) using premade target shRNA lentiviral partic...

Objectives: To investigate osteogenic differentiation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) encapsulated stem cells from apical papilla (SCAPs) by layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly on gelatin based hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffold. Methods: Gelatin gel were alternately soaked in solution of CaCl2 and Na2HPO4 to prepare the Gel-HA scaffold. The phy...

Objectives: To examine the effects of HIF-1α stabilization on angiogenic properties of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED). Methods: Stabilized expression of HIF-1α in SHED under normoxia was achieved by knocking-down of prolyl-hydroxylase domain-containing protein-2 (PHD2) using target shRNA lentiviral particles. Knockdown of P...

Objectives The current study aimed to investigate the effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) overexpressing dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) in vascularized dental pulp regeneration in vivo. Materials and methods Human DPSCs were transfected with VEGF or SDF-1α using premade lentiviral partic...

Inducing of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) into endothelial cells (ECs) to prevascularize pulp tissue constructs may offer a novel and viable approach for enhancing pulp regeneration. However, there are numerous challenges in current methods for the acquisition of sufficient translational ECs. It was known that Sema4D/PlexinB1 signaling exerts prof...

Objective: Dental-derived stem cells originate from the embryonic neural crest, and exhibit high neurogenic potential. This study aimed to investigate whether a cocktail of eight small molecules (Valproic acid, CHIR99021, Repsox, Forskolin, SP600125, GO6983, Y-27632 and Dorsomorphin) can enhance the in vitro neurogenic differentiation of dental pu...

s Objectives we aimed to accelerate angiogenesis in pulp regeneration by modulating ephrinB2 expression in stem cells from apical papilla (SCAPs). Materials and Methods SCAPs were transducted with ephrinB2‐lentiviral expression vector in experimental group (ephrinB2‐SCAPs) and green fluorescent protein (GFP‐SCAPs) in control group. The transducti...

Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) of Enterococcus faecalis is a potent stimulator of inflammatory responses, but the effects of E. faecalis LTA on osteoclastogenesis remains far from well understood. This study showed that E. faecalis LTA significantly inhibited osteoclastogenesis of wild type murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) in the presence of...

Objectives: The current study aimed to overexpress vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) in dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and investigate its effects on vascularized dental pulp regeneration in-vivo. Methods: Human DPSCs were transfected with VEGF or SDF-1α using premade lentiviral particles. Overexp...

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the angiogenic properties of Bcl-2 overexpressing dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) under hypoxia in-vitro and in-vivo. Methods: Bcl2-overexpressing-DPSCs was established using target-specific lentiviral particles (GenTarget Inc, CA). Bcl2-overexpressing-DPSCs were cultured under hypoxia induced by...

Objectives: To investigate the effects of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) loaded layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembled gelatin and alginate polyelectrolytes on odonto/osteogenic differentiation of stem cells from apical papilla (SCAPs). Methods: SCAPs were encapsulated with cAMP using LBL self-assembled gelatin and alginate polyelectrolytes (L...

Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) originate from the embryonic neural crest and have neurogenic potential. The present study investigated the roles of the forward and reverse EphrinB2 signalling pathways during DPSC neurogenesis. Treatment of DPSCs with recombinant EphrinB2-Fc protein over 7 days in a neural induction culture resulted in significant d...

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), the inorganic nanomaterials with stable physicochemical property and versatile surface functional groups, have been increasingly studied and applied in biomedical field as nanocarriers. There are a limited number of reports on their potential applications in clinical dentistry. Herein, we fabricated the fluor...

Background: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the clinical performance of core-carrier obturation in endodontic treatment. Methods: Keywords of "(core carrier OR Thermafil) OR (cold lateral condensation OR lateral condensation) OR (warm vertical condensation OR vertical condensation) AND (obturation OR root canal filling) AND clinical stu...

Objective: To investigate the role of the EphrinB2 signaling pathway in the osteogenesis/odontogenesis of human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). Design: The endogenous expression levels of EphrinB2 and its cognate receptors EphB2 and EphB4 in DPSCs were analyzed by qRT-PCR and Western blotting after 7, 14 and 21 days of osteogenic/odontogenic ind...

Low efficiency of deriving endothelial cells (ECs) from adult stem cells hampers their utilization in tissue engineering studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether suppression of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling could enhance the differentiation efficiency of dental pulp–derived stem cells into ECs. We initially...

Creating an optimal microenvironment that supports angiogenesis, cell-cell cross talk, cell migration, and differentiation is crucial for pulp/dentin regeneration. It was shown that dental stem cells being seeded onto a scaffold and transplanted in vivo could give rise to a new tissue similar to that of the native pulp. However, the unique structur...

Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the time-course effects on endothelial differentiation of dental stem cells, when they are allowed to self-assemble into microtissues. Methods: Micro-molds purchased from Microtissues, Inc. were used to fabricate agarose three-dimensional (3D) petri-dishes, which contain circular recesses. Dental p...

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the underlining interplay of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) on the odonto/osteogenic differentiation of apical papilla-derived stem cells (SCAPs). Methods: SCAPs were isolated from human immature third molars. Forskolin was used to activate and H89 was use...

Severe gum disease (periodontitis), which is one of the major global oral diseases, results from microbe- host dysbiosis and dysregulated immuno-inflammatory responses. It seriously affects oral health and general wellbeing with significant socio-economic implications. It has been well documented that natural flavonoids such as baicalin (BA) and ba...

Bone remodelling is a strictly regulated dynamic process between bone resorption and bone formation. Many factors are involved in the process and affect the dynamic balance. Inflammation-mediated bone loss is a major feature of various bone diseases, including periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA). Interleukin-17 (IL-...

Interleukin (IL)-17 is crucial to osteoclast differentiation and activation. Osteocytes support osteoclast formation and are thought to orchestrate bone remodeling in response to fluid flow. The contribution of IL-17 to osteocyte-related bone resorption remains unclear. Here, we used the osteocyte-like MLO-Y4 cell line to examine the role of IL-17...

Introduction: Enterococcus faecalis is a gram-positive bacterium associated with endodontic infections and is capable of forming biofilms that can confer drug resistance to the bacterium, resulting in treatment failure. Current knowledge on E. faecalis drug resistance is of a limited and conflicting nature. The present study examined the genetic b...

Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is considered a leading cause of dental caries. The capability of S. mutans to tolerate low pH is essential for its cariogenicity. Aciduricity of S. mutans is linked to its adaptation to environmental stress in oral cavity. This study aimed to investigate the effect of biofilm age and starvation condition on acid to...

Background: Various clinical studies have revealed that cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are associated with bone loss diseases such as osteoporosis and periodontitis, especially in older population. As one of the best-established risk factors of CVD, hyperlipidemia is also reported to interfere with the metabolism, function and regeneration of miner...

Introduction: Dental follicle stem cells (DFSCs) possess neurogenic potential because they originate from the embryonic neural crest. This study investigated whether neural differentiation of DFSCs can be enhanced by culture on decellularized matrix substrata (NSC-DECM) derived from neurogenesis of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Methods: Th...

Pericytes are an integral cellular component of vascular structures. Numerous studies have investigated various stem cell types as potential sources of pericytes for application in cell-based therapy. The diverse stem cell types and variable experimental protocols of these studies make it imperative to evaluate the relevant scientific literature on...