Enriched Graphene Oxide-Polypropylene Suture Threads Buttons Modulate the Inflammatory Pathway Induced by Escherichia coli Lipopolysaccharide

Graphene oxide (GO), derived from graphene, has remarkable chemical–physical properties such as stability, strength, and thermal or electric conductivity and additionally shows antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. The present study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of polypropylene suture threads buttons (PPSTBs), enriched with two different concentrations of GO, in the modulation of the inflammatory pathway TLR4/MyD 88/NFκB p65/NLRP3 induced by the Escherichia coli (E. coli) lipopolysaccharide (LPS-E). The gene and the protein expression of inflammatory markers were evaluated in an in vitro model of primary human gingival fibroblasts (hGFs) by real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunofluorescence analysis. Both GO concentrations used in the polypropylene suture threads buttons-GO constructs (PPSTBs-GO) decreased the expression of inflammatory markers in hGFs treated with LPS-E. The hGFs morphology and adhesion on the PPSTBs-GO constructs were also visualized by inverted light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and real-time PCR. Together, these results suggest that enriched PPSTBs-GO modulates the inflammatory process through TLR4/MyD 88/NFκB p65/NLRP3 pathway.