P. gingivalis Infection of BMDMφ

P. gingivalis W83 was grown in brain heart infusion broth (BHI) (Oxiod, Basingstoke, UK) enriched with hemin (5 g mL^-1) (Solarbio, Beijing, China) and menadione (1 g mL^-1) (Solarbio), in an anaerobic atmosphere (85% N₂, 10% H₂, 5% CO₂), at 37°C. Bacteria were collected when the culture reached an optical density at 600 nm of approximately 1.0 (~10⁹ CFU mL^-1) and were used for infection of unprimed BMDMφ at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 100, ^{30 (link)} in the presence or absence of 5 μM Stattic (Selleck, TX, USA), a nonpeptidic small molecule that selectively inhibits the phosphorylation of STAT3. P. gingivalis W83 were incubated with the unprimed BMDMφ for 12 h.