Fig. 5

Effects of topical treatment with AuNCs on dental plaque biofilms. A Timeline of the F. nucleatum infection model and subsequent treatments. B Photographs of dental plaque after staining under stereomicroscopy. C Photographs of bacterial colony forming units obtained from the biofilms on the silk sutures treated under various experimental conditions. D Plaque index. E The corresponding quantification of colony forming units. F Quantification of F. nucleatum according to standard curves, obtained from the biofilms on the silk sutures treated under various experimental conditions. Con treatment with PBS, Lig ligature and treatment with PBS, Fn ligature with F. nucleatum inoculation, AuNCs ligature with alternate applications of F. nucleatum and AuNCs (0.4 mM). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001