{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]],"date-time":"2026-05-11T20:15:01Z","timestamp":1778530501885,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,8]],"date-time":"2026-05-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778198400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JFB"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Metallic and metal oxide nanoparticles are increasingly explored as antimicrobial biomaterials in endodontics due to their multi-target mechanisms of action, largely mediated by metal ion release (e.g., Ag+, Cu+). However, bacterial metal resistance systems, particularly efflux-related proteins, may influence their antimicrobial performance. This study aimed to analyze the prevalence and distribution of metal resistance-associated proteins in bacteria involved in endodontic infections using a bioinformatic approach. Methods: An in silico, cross-sectional bioinformatic analysis was conducted using publicly available genomes from the Bacterial and Viral Bioinformatics Resource Center (BV-BRC). Bacterial species associated with acute apical abscess (AAA), symptomatic apical periodontitis (SAP), asymptomatic apical periodontitis (AAP), and post-treatment apical periodontitis (PTAP) were included. The presence of selected metal resistance-related proteins (CutC, CopA, CzcA, CusA, SilA, P-type ATPase, and PA3920) was assessed using a binary presence\/absence framework. Prevalence, group comparisons (Fisher\u2019s exact test), and co-occurrence patterns (Phi coefficient) were analyzed. Results: Metal resistance-associated proteins were widely distributed across all infection types, with prevalence ranging from 70.0% to 82.9% and no significant differences between groups (p &gt; 0.05). CutC was the most prevalent protein, followed by CopA and CzcA, whereas SilA and PA3920 were not detected. Correlation analysis revealed consistent co-occurrence patterns among key taxa, including Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Prevotella spp. Conclusions: Metal resistance-related proteins are broadly distributed in endodontic microbiota, indicating a conserved genetic capacity for metal tolerance. These findings suggest that microbial resistance determinants may influence, but do not directly determine, the antimicrobial performance of nanoparticle-based biomaterials. This study provides a hypothesis-generating, bioinformatic framework to support the design and optimization of antimicrobial biomaterials, highlighting the need for experimental validation and integration of phenotypic and biofilm-based analyses.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jfb17050237","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]],"date-time":"2026-05-11T19:35:43Z","timestamp":1778528143000},"page":"237","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Bioinformatic Resistome Profiling of Metal Tolerance Mechanisms in Endodontic Infections: Implications for Antimicrobial Nanoparticle-Based Biomaterials"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Carlos Alberto","family":"Luna-Lara","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, Autonomous University of Tamaulipas, Av. Universidad Esq. Con Blvd. Adolfo L\u00f3pez Mateos S\/N, Tampico C.P. 89337, Tamaulipas, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Carlos Roberto","family":"Luna-Dominguez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, Autonomous University of Tamaulipas, Av. Universidad Esq. Con Blvd. Adolfo L\u00f3pez Mateos S\/N, Tampico C.P. 89337, Tamaulipas, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rogelio","family":"Oliver-Parra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, Autonomous University of Tamaulipas, Av. Universidad Esq. Con Blvd. Adolfo L\u00f3pez Mateos S\/N, Tampico C.P. 89337, Tamaulipas, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Omaika Victoria","family":"Criollo-Barrios","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, Autonomous University of Tamaulipas, Av. Universidad Esq. Con Blvd. Adolfo L\u00f3pez Mateos S\/N, Tampico C.P. 89337, Tamaulipas, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mar\u00eda de los Dolores","family":"Vaca-Jasso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Stomatology, Autonomous University of San Luis Potos\u00ed, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava No. 2, Zona Universitaria, San Luis Potos\u00ed C.P. 78290, San Luis Potos\u00ed, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marco Felipe","family":"Salas-Orozco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Stomatology, Autonomous University of San Luis Potos\u00ed, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava No. 2, Zona Universitaria, San Luis Potos\u00ed C.P. 78290, San Luis Potos\u00ed, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1207","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joen.2015.04.008","article-title":"Correlation between Enterococcus faecalis and persistent intraradicular infection compared with primary intraradicular infection: A systematic review","volume":"41","author":"Zhang","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Endod."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Siqueira, J.F., and R\u00f4\u00e7as, I.N. (2011). Microbiology and treatment of endodontic infections. 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