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Frank C. Nichols, DDS, PhD

Professor, Division of Periodontology

NPI Number: 1427113976
Academic Office Location: Periodontology UConn Health 263 Farmington Avenue Farmington, CT 06030-1710
Phone:	860-679-3170

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Education & Training
Clinical Interests
Research
Publications

Education

Degree	Institution	Major
DDS	Ohio State University	Dental Science
Other	University of Rochester	Biophysics
MDentSc	University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine	Periodontics

Degree

Institution

Major

DDS

Ohio State University

Dental Science

Other

University of Rochester

Biophysics

MDentSc

University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine

Periodontics

Treatment of periodontal diseases, dental implants and general dental care

Clinical Research:
Understanding mechanisms of tissue destruction in periodontal disease and the relationship between periodontal diseases and autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis and arthritis.

Basic Science Research:
Study of periodontal bacterial lipids and their capacity to promote autoimmune disease through activation of the innate immune system.

Journal Articles

Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 infection by Porphyromonas gingivalis and the oral microbiome.
Bontempo, Alexander; Chirino, Alexandra; Heidari, Alireza; Lugo, Alexandra; Shindo, Satoru; Pastore, Maria R; Madonia, Riccardo; Antonson, Sibel A; Godoy, Cristina; Nichols, Frank C; Potempa, Jan; Davey, Mary Ellen; Kawai, Toshihisa; Cayabyab, Mark J Microbiology spectrum 2024 Oct;12(10):e0059924
Dementia exacerbates periodontal bone loss in females.
Yamada, Chiaki; Ho, Anny; Garcia, Christopher; Oblak, Adrian L; Bissel, Stephanie; Porosencova, Tatiana; Porosencov, Egor; Uncuta, Diana; Ngala, Bidii; Shepilov, Dmytro; Skibo, Galyna; Mascarenhas, Ana Karina; Akkaoui, Juliet; Lakshmana, Madepalli K; Sankar, Uma; Nichols, Frank; Lamb, Bruce T; Groppa, Stanislav; Movila, Alexandru Journal of periodontal research 2024 Jan;
The multifaceted role of c-di-AMP signaling in the regulation of Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide structure and function.
Ghods, Shirin; Muszynski, Artur; Yang, Hyojik; Seelan, Ratnam S; Mohammadi, Asal; Hilson, Jacob S; Keiser, Griffin; Nichols, Frank C; Azadi, Parastoo; Ernst, Robert K; Moradali, Fata Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology 2024 Jan;141418651
Metabolism of serine/glycine lipids by human gingival cells in culture.
Guido, Tyler M; Ratcliffe, Samuel D; Rahmlow, Amanda; Zambrello, Matthew A; Provates, Anthony A; Clark, Robert B; Smith, Michael B; Nichols, Frank C Molecular oral microbiology 2023 Oct;
Inhibitory effect of Porphyromonas gingivalis-derived phosphoethanolamine dihydroceramide on acid ceramidase expression in oral squamous cells.
Yamada, Chiaki; Ho, Anny; Nusbaum, Amilia; Xu, Ruijuan; Davey, Mary Ellen; Nichols, Frank; Mao, Cungui; Movila, Alexandru Journal of cellular and molecular medicine 2023 May;27(9):1290-1295
Expression of the 2Duf protein in wild-type Bacillus subtilis spores stabilizes inner membrane proteins and increases spore resistance to wet heat and hydrogen peroxide.
Korza, George; DePratti, Sarah; Fairchild, Daniel; Wicander, James; Kanaan, Julia; Shames, Hannah; Nichols, Frank C; Cowan, Ann; Brul, Stanley; Setlow, Peter* Journal of applied microbiology 2023 Mar;134(3):
Dihydroceramides Derived from Bacteroidetes Species Sensitize TRPV1 Channels.
Ludwig, Nora; Demaree, Isaac S; Yamada, Chiaki; Nusbaum, Amilia; Nichols, Frank C; White, Fletcher A; Movila, Alexandru; Obukhov, Alexander G International journal of molecular sciences 2023 Jan;24(1):
Identification and characterization of new proteins crucial for bacterial spore resistance and germination.
Yu, Benjamin; Kanaan, Julia; Shames, Hannah; Wicander, James; Aryal, Makunda; Li, Yunfeng; Korza, George; Brul, Stanley; Kramer, Gertjan; Li, Yong-Qing; Nichols, Frank C; Hao, Bing; Setlow, Peter* Frontiers in microbiology 2023 Jan;141161604
Crosstalk between dihydroceramides produced by Porphyromonas gingivalis and host lysosomal cathepsin B in the promotion of osteoclastogenesis.
Duarte, Carolina; Yamada, Chiaki; Garcia, Christopher; Akkaoui, Juliet; Ho, Anny; Nichols, Frank; Movila, Alexandru Journal of cellular and molecular medicine 2022 Apr;
Characterization of a Bacterial Kinase That Phosphorylates Dihydrosphingosine to Form dhS1P.
Ranjit, Dev K; Moye, Zachary D; Rocha, Fernanda G; Ottenberg, Gregory; Nichols, Frank C; Kim, Hey-Min; Walker, Alejandro R; Gibson, Frank C; Davey, Mary E Microbiology spectrum 2022 Mar;e0000222
Gut Microbiome-Derived Glycine Lipids Are Diet-Dependent Modulators of Hepatic Injury and Atherosclerosis.
Millar, Courtney L; Anto, Liya; Garcia, Chelsea; Kim, Mi-Bo; Jain, Anisha; Provatas, Anthony A; Clark, Robert B; Lee, Ji-Young; Nichols, Frank C; Blesso, Christopher N Journal of lipid research 2022 Mar;100192
Interferon-β and Fingolimod Control Microglial Inflammatory Cell Polarization in Response to Multiple Sclerosis-associated Bacterial Ligand 654.
Brown, Jordan; Everett, Colleen; Barragan, Jose A; Vargas-Medrano, Javier; Gadad, Bharathi S; Nichols, Frank; Cervantes, Jorge L Archives of medical research 2021 Dec;
A novel phosphoglycerol serine-glycine lipodipeptide of Porphyromonas gingivalis is a TLR2 ligand.
Nichols, Frank C; Clark, Robert B; Maciejewski, Mark W; Provatas, Anthony A; Balsbaugh, Jeremy L; Dewhirst, Floyd E; Smith, Michael B; Rahmlow, Amanda Journal of Lipid Research 2020 Dec;121645-1657
Glycine lipids of Porphyromonas gingivalis are agonists for Toll-like receptor 2.
Nichols, Frank C; Clark, Robert B; Liu, Yaling; Provatas, Anthony A; Dietz, Christopher J; Zhu, Qiang; Wang, Yu-Hsiung; Smith, Michael B Infection and Immunity 2020 Mar;88(4):00877-19
Multiple sclerosis, the microbiome, TLR2, and the hygiene hypothesis.
Wasko NJ, Nichols F, Clark RB Autoimmunity Reviews 2020 Jan;19(1):102430
Potential Role of Phosphoglycerol Dihydroceramide Produced by Periodontal Pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis in the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease.
Yamada, Chiaki; Akkaoui, Juliet; Ho, Anny; Duarte, Carolina; Deth, Richard; Kawai, Toshihisa; Nichols, Frank; Lakshmana, Madepalli K; Movila, Alexandru Frontiers in immunology 2020 Jan;11591571
Systemic TLR2 tolerance enhances central nervous system remyelination.
Wasko, Nicholas J; Kulak, Meghan Horne; Paul, Debayon; Nicaise, Alexandra M; Yeung, Stephen T; Nichols, Frank C; Khanna, Kamal M; Crocker, Stephen; Pachter, Joel S; Clark, Robert B Journal of neuroinflammation 2019 Jul;16(1):158
The role of phospholipase A2 in multiple Sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Trotter, Austin; Anstadt, Emily; Clark, Robert B; Nichols, Frank; Dwivedi, Alok; Aung, Koko; Cervantes, Jorge L Multiple sclerosis and related disorders 2019 Jan;27206-213
Enhanced TLR2 responses in multiple sclerosis.
Fujiwara, M; Anstadt, E J; Flynn, B; Morse, K; Ng, C; Paczkowski, P; Zhou, J; Mackay, S; Wasko, N; Nichols, F; Clark, R B Clinical and experimental immunology 2018 Jul;193313-326
Deposition and Hydrolysis of Serine Dipeptide Lipids of Bacteroidetes Bacteria in Human Arteries: Relationship to Atherosclerosis.
Nemati, Reza; Dietz, Christopher; Anstadt, Emily J; Cervantes, Jorge; Liu, Yaling; Dewhirst, Floyd E; Clark, Robert B; Finegold, Sydney; Gallagher, James J; Smith, Michael B; Yao, Xudong; Nichols, Frank C Journal of lipid research 2017 Aug;581999-2007
Convergent Synthesis of a Deuterium Labeled Serine Dipeptide Lipid for Analysis of Biological Samples.
Dietz, Christopher; Clark, Robert B; Nichols, Frank C; Smith, Michael B Journal of labelled compounds & radiopharmaceuticals 2017 Mar;60274-285
Simultaneous Determination of Absolute Configuration and Quantity of Lipopeptides Using Chiral Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry and Diastereomeric Internal Standards.
Nemati, Reza; Dietz, Christopher; Anstadt, Emily; Clark, Robert; Smith, Michael; Nichols, Frank; Yao, Xudong Analytical chemistry 2017 Feb;893583-3589
How Is Physician Work Valued?
Jacobs, Jeffrey P; Lahey, Stephen J; Nichols, Francis C; Levett, James M; Johnston, George Gilbert; Freeman, Richard K; St Louis, James D; Painter, Julie; Yohe, Courtney; Wright, Cameron D; Kanter, Kirk R; Mayer, John E; Naunheim, Keith S; Rich, Jeffrey B; Bavaria, Joseph E; Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Coding and Reimbursement The Annals of thoracic surgery 2017 Feb;103(2):373-380
Phosphoglycerol dihydroceramide, a distinctivFe ceramide produced by Porphyromonas gingivalis, promotes RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis by acting on non-muscle myosin II-A (Myh9), an osteoclast cell fusion regulatory factor.
Kanzaki, Hiroyuki; Movila, Alexandru; Kayal, Rayyan; Napimoga, Marcelo H; Egashira, Kenji; Dewhirst, Floyd; Sasaki, Hajime; Howait, Mohammed; Al-Dharrab, Ayman; Mira, Abdulghani; Han, Xiaozhe; Taubman, Martin A; Nichols, Frank C; Kawai, Toshihisa Biochimica et biophysica acta 2017 Jan;1862452-462
TLR Tolerance as a Treatment for Central Nervous System Autoimmunity.
Anstadt, Emily J; Fujiwara, Mai; Wasko, Nicholas; Nichols, Frank; Clark, Robert B Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 2016 Sep;197(6):2110-8
Effects of High Pressure Treatment on Spores of Clostridium species.
Doona, Christopher J; Feeherry, Florence E; Setlow, Barbara; Wang, Shiwei; Li, William; Nichols, Frank C; Talukdar, Prabhat K; Sarker, Mahfuzur R; Li, Yong-Qing; Shen, Aimee; Setlow, Peter Applied and environmental microbiology 2016 Jun;825287-97
Serine dipeptide lipids of Porphyromonas gingivalis inhibit osteoblast differentiation: Relationship to Toll-like receptor 2.
Wang, Yu-Hsiung; Nemati, Reza; Anstadt, Emily; Liu, Yaling; Son, Young; Zhu, Qiang; Yao, Xudong; Clark, Robert B; Rowe, David W; Nichols, Frank C Bone 2015 Sep;81654-61
Biologic activity of porphyromonas endodontalis complex lipids.
Mirucki, Christopher S; Abedi, Mehran; Jiang, Jin; Zhu, Qiang; Wang, Yu-Hsiung; Safavi, Kamran E; Clark, Robert B; Nichols, Frank C Journal of endodontics 2014 Sep;40(9):1342-8
Elimination of gaseous microemboli from cardiopulmonary bypass using hypobaric oxygenation.
Gipson, Keith E; Rosinski, David J; Schonberger, Robert B; Kubera, Cathryn; Mathew, Eapen S; Nichols, Frank; Dyckman, William; Courtin, Francois; Sherburne, Bradford; Bordey, Angelique F; Gross, Jeffrey B The Annals of thoracic surgery 2014 Mar;97(3):879-86
Bacterial lipodipeptide, Lipid 654, is a microbiome-associated biomarker for multiple sclerosis.
Farrokhi, Vahid; Nemati, Reza; Nichols, Frank C; Yao, Xudong; Anstadt, Emily; Fujiwara, Mai; Grady, James; Wakefield, Daniel; Castro, Wanda; Donaldson, James; Clark, Robert B Clinical & translational immunology 2013 Nov;2(11):e8
Serine lipids of Porphyromonas gingivalis are human and mouse Toll-like receptor 2 ligands.
Clark, Robert B; Cervantes, Jorge L; Maciejewski, Mark W; Farrokhi, Vahid; Nemati, Reza; Yao, Xudong; Anstadt, Emily; Fujiwara, Mai; Wright, Kyle T; Riddle, Caroline; La Vake, Carson J; Salazar, Juan C; Finegold, Sydney; Nichols, Frank C Infection and immunity 2013 Sep;81(9):3479-89
Free lipid A isolated from Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide is contaminated with phosphorylated dihydroceramide lipids: recovery in diseased dental samples.
Nichols, Frank C; Bajrami, Bekim; Clark, Robert B; Housley, William; Yao, Xudong Infection and immunity 2012 Feb;80(2):860-74
The impact of Porphyromonas gingivalis lipids on apoptosis of primary human chondrocytes.
Röhner, Eric; Hoff, Paula; Matziolis, Georg; Perka, Carsten; Riep, Birgit; Nichols, Frank C; Kielbassa, Andrej M; Detert, Jacqueline; Burmester, Gerd R; Buttgereit, Frank; Zahlten, Janine; Pischon, Nicole Connective tissue research 2012 Jan;53(4):327-33
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma is required for CD4+ T cell-mediated lymphopenia-associated autoimmunity.
Housley, William J; Adams, Catherine O; Vang, Amanda G; Brocke, Stefan; Nichols, Frank C; LaCombe, Melissa; Rajan, Thiruchandurai V; Clark, Robert B Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 2011 Oct;187(8):4161-9
Natural but not inducible regulatory T cells require TNF-alpha signaling for in vivo function.
Housley, William J; Adams, Catherine O; Nichols, Frank C; Puddington, Lynn; Lingenheld, Elizabeth G; Zhu, Li; Rajan, Thiruchandurai V; Clark, Robert B Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 2011 Jun;186(12):6779-87
Phosphorylated dihydroceramides from common human bacteria are recovered in human tissues.
Nichols, Frank C; Yao, Xudong; Bajrami, Bekim; Downes, Julia; Finegold, Sydney M; Knee, Erica; Gallagher, James J; Housley, William J; Clark, Robert B PloS one 2011 Jan;6(2):e16771
Porphyromonas gingivalis lipids inhibit osteoblastic differentiation and function.
Wang, Yu-Hsiung; Jiang, Jin; Zhu, Qiang; AlAnezi, Amer Z; Clark, Robert B; Jiang, Xi; Rowe, David W; Nichols, Frank C Infection and immunity 2010 Sep;78(9):3726-35
Unique lipids from a common human bacterium represent a new class of Toll-like receptor 2 ligands capable of enhancing autoimmunity.
Nichols, Frank C; Housley, William J; O'Conor, Catherine A; Manning, Thomas; Wu, Shuang; Clark, Robert B The American journal of pathology 2009 Dec;175(6):2430-8
PPARgamma regulates retinoic acid-mediated DC induction of Tregs.
Housley, William J; O'Conor, Catherine A; Nichols, Frank; Puddington, Lynn; Lingenheld, Elizabeth G; Zhu, Li; Clark, Robert B Journal of leukocyte biology 2009 Aug;86(2):293-301
Structural confirmation of the dihydrosphinganine and fatty acid constituents of the dental pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis.
Mun, JiYoung; Onorato, Amber; Nichols, Frank C; Morton, Martha D; Saleh, Abdullah I; Welzel, Morgan; Smith, Michael B Organic & biomolecular chemistry 2007 Dec;5(23):3826-33
Porphyromonas gingivalis dihydroceramides induce apoptosis in endothelial cells.
Zahlten, J; Riep, B; Nichols, F C; Walter, C; Schmeck, B; Bernimoulin, J-P; Hippenstiel, S Journal of dental research 2007 Jul;86(7):635-40
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) and immunoregulation: enhancement of regulatory T cells through PPARgamma-dependent and -independent mechanisms.
Wohlfert, Elizabeth A; Nichols, Frank C; Nevius, Erin; Clark, Robert B Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 2007 Apr;178(7):4129-35
Porphyromonas gingivalis lipids and diseased dental tissues.
Nichols, F C; Rojanasomsith, K Oral microbiology and immunology 2006 Apr;21(2):84-92
Structures and biological activities of novel phosphatidylethanolamine lipids of Porphyromonas gingivalis.
Nichols, Frank C; Riep, Birgit; Mun, Jiyoung; Morton, Martha D; Kawai, Toshihisa; Dewhirst, Floyd E; Smith, Michael B Journal of lipid research 2006 Apr;47(4):844-53
Prostaglandin E2 secretion from gingival fibroblasts treated with interleukin-1beta: effects of lipid extracts from Porphyromonas gingivalis or calculus.
Nichols, F C; Levinbook, H; Shnaydman, M; Goldschmidt, J Journal of periodontal research 2001 Jun;36(3):142-52
The chemical and physical stability of a 1:1 mixture of propofol and methohexital.
Bennett, J; Gross, J; Nichols, F; Chidambaram, N; Burgess, D Anesthesia progress 2001 Jan;48(2):61-5
Effects of a bacterial cell wall fragment on monocyte inflammatory function.
Safavi, K E; Nichols, F C Journal of endodontics 2000 Mar;26(3):153-5
Novel ceramides recovered from Porphyromonas gingivalis: relationship to adult periodontitis.
Nichols, F C Journal of lipid research 1998 Dec;39(12):2360-72
Relationship between hydroxy fatty acids and prostaglandin E2 in gingival tissue.
Nichols, F; Maraj, B Infection and immunity 1998 Dec;66(12):5805-11
Subcutaneous administration of midazolam: a comparison of the Bioject jet injector with the conventional syringe and needle.
Bennett, J; Nichols, F; Rosenblum, M; Condry, J Journal of oral and maxillofacial surgery : official journal of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons 1998 Nov;56(11):1249-54
Distribution of 3-hydroxy iC17:0 in subgingival plaque and gingival tissue samples: relationship to adult periodontitis.
Nichols, F C Infection and immunity 1994 Sep;62(9):3753-60
Longitudinal evaluation of peripheral blood monocyte secretory function in periodontitis-resistant and periodontitis-susceptible patients.
Payne, J B; Peluso, J F; Nichols, F C Archives of oral biology 1993 Apr;38(4):309-17
Prostaglandin E release from human monocytes treated with lipopolysaccharides isolated from Bacteroides intermedius and Salmonella typhimurium: potentiation by gamma interferon.
Nichols, F C; Peluso, J F; Tempro, P J; Garrison, S W; Payne, J B Infection and immunity 1991 Jan;59(1):398-406
Lipopolysaccharide-stimulated PGE2 release from human monocytes. Comparison of lipopolysaccharides prepared from suspected periodontal pathogens.
Garrison, S W; Holt, S C; Nichols, F C Journal of periodontology 1988 Oct;59(10):684-7
Interferon-gamma potentiation of lipopolysaccharide-induced eicosanoid release from human monocytes.
Nichols, F C; Garrison, S W Journal of interferon research 1987 Feb;7(1):121-9
Effects of octenidine mouthrinse on plaque formation and gingivitis in humans.
Patters, M R; Nalbandian, J; Nichols, F C; Niekrash, C E; Kennedy, J E; Kiel, R A; Trummel, C L Journal of periodontal research 1986 Mar;21(2):154-62

Other

Prostaglandin E2 and thromboxane B2 release from human monocytes treated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide.
Nichols, F C; Garrison, S W; Davis, H W Journal of leukocyte biology 1988 Nov;44(5):376-84
Prostaglandin E2, prostaglandin E1 and thromboxane B2 release from human monocytes treated with C3b or bacterial lipopolysaccharide.
Nichols, F C; Schenkein, H A; Rutherford, R B Biochimica et biophysica acta 1987 Feb;927(2):149-57

Reviews

Are Sphingolipids and Serine Dipeptide Lipids underestimated Virulence Factors of Porphyromonas gingivalis?
Olsen, Ingar; Nichols, Frank C Infection and immunity 2018 Apr;86