SrCuSi4 O10 /GelMA Composite Hydrogel-mediated Vital Pulp Therapy: Integrating Antibacterial Property and Enhanced Pulp Regeneration Activity.

Abstract

Vital pulp therapy (VPT) is considered a conservative treatment for preserving pulp viability in caries-induced dental pulp infections. However, bacterial contamination negatively affects dentine-pulp complex repair. The common capping materials show limited antimicrobial effects against some microorganisms. To improve the VPT efficacy, capping materials with increased antibacterial properties and enhanced odontogenic and angiogenic activities are needed. Herein, a SrCuSi4 O10 /gelatin methacrylate(SC/Gel) composite hydrogel has been proposed for infected dental pulp treatment. SrCuSi4 O10 (SC) is a microscale bioceramic composed of assembled multilayered nanosheets that possesses good near-infrared photothermal conversion ability and multiple bioactivities due to sustained Sr2+ , Cu2+ and SiO3 2- ion release. Weshow that the SC/Gel composite hydrogel efficiently eliminated Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus casei and inhibited biofilm formation under photothermal heating, while the ion extract from SC promoted odontogenesis of rat dental pulp stem cells and angiogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. The as-designed therapeutic effect of SC/Gel composite hydrogel-mediated VPT has been proven in a rat dental pulp infection model and yielded improved dentine-pulp complex repair compared with the commercially used iRoot® BP Plus. Ourstudy suggests that the SC/Gel composite hydrogel is a potential pulp-capping material with improved effects on dental-pulp complex repair in infected pulp. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.