Fig. 2

Antibacterial effects and mechanism of the AuNCs. A, B Photographs and corresponding quantification of F. nucleatum on agar plates treated with different concentrations of AuNCs. C Images of live/dead fluorescent staining after treatment with AuNCs (0.2 mM), green fluorescence of the SYTO 9 probe indicates all bacteria, and red fluorescence of the PI indicates dead bacteria. D SEM and TEM images, E membrane potential, and F visualization of ROS of F. nucleatum treated with AuNCs (AuNCs group, 0.2 mM) or not (Con group). **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001