Nanostructured interfacial self-assembled peptide-polymer membranes for enhanced mineralization and cell adhesion

This work was supported by national funds through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the project PTDC/CTM-BIO/0814/2012 and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Operational Competitiveness Programme “COMPETE” (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-028491). J. Borges and R. P. Pirraco gratefully acknowledge funding support from FCT for postdoctoral (SFRH/BPD/103604/2014) and investigator (IF/00347/2015) grants, respectively. Y. Shi acknowledges China Scholarship Council for her PhD scholarship (no. 201307060020). H. S. Azevedo also acknowledges financial support from the EU-funded project “SuprHApolymers” (PCIG14-GA-2013-631871) and A. Mata acknowledges the European Research Council Starting Grant “STROFUNSCAFF” and the Marie Curie Career Integration Grant “BIOMORPH”

Supramolecular Peptide/Polymer Hybrid Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications.

Peptides and polymers are the "elite" building blocks in hydrogel fabrication where the typical approach consists of coupling specific peptide sequences (cell adhesive and/or enzymatically cleavable) to polymer chains aiming to obtain controlled cell responses (adhesion, migration, differentiation). However, the use of polymers and peptides as structural components for fabricating supramolecular hydrogels is less well established. Here, the literature on the design of peptide/polymer systems for self-assembly into hybrid hydrogels, as either peptide-polymer conjugates or combining both components individually, is reviewed. The properties (stiffness, mesh structure, responsiveness, and biocompatibility) of the hydrogels are then discussed from the viewpoint of their potential biomedical applications

Local antimicrobial therapy after initial periodontal treatment

Aim: The aim of this single-blind, randomized, parallel-designed clinical trial (RCT) was to evaluate the clinical and microbiological effects of three sustained-release biodegradable polymers delivered into periodontal pockets following initial periodontal therapy. Methods: Forty-seven patients (28 females and 19 males) with a mean age of 51 years (range 29-71) underwent a periodontal examination at baseline (i.e. Week 0) and after 18 weeks. This included the assessment of the Plaque Index (PlI), Bleeding on Probing (BOP), Pocket Probing Depths (PPD) and Probing Attachment Levels (PAL) at six sites per tooth. Two to 4 months prior to baseline, all subjects had received initial periodontal therapy including motivation, instruction in oral hygiene practices and full-mouth scaling and root planing. At the treatment appointment (i.e. Week 2), the patients were randomly assigned to receive either Atridox™, Elyzol® Dental Gel or PerioChip® at all residual periodontal pockets with a probing depth ≥ 5 mm and concomitant BOP. In accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations, Elyzol® Dental Gel was applied for a second time 7 days later. In addition to the clinical evaluation, subgingival microbiological samples were collected prior to treatment (i.e. Week 2) and at Weeks 4 and 18. Analysis of variance/covariance was used to evaluate changes from baseline to Week 18 for the clinical parameters. Results: Between the baseline and 18-week examinations, subjects treated with Atridox showed a significantly greater gain in mean PAL of 0.33 mm ± 0.09 (SD) than subjects treated with Elyzol® Dental Gel [0.03 mm ± 0.09 (SD)] (p = 0.03). However, the gain in PAL of 0.16 mm ± 0.10 (SD) found after PerioChip® application did not differ significantly from that obtained following the application of Atridox™ (p = 0.27). Of the sites treated with Atridox™, 42% gained ≥1 mm PAL and 9% ≥ 2 mm PAL as opposed to the sites treated with Elyzol® Dental Gel, in which 34% gained ≥ 1 mm PAL and 8% gained ≥ 2 mm PAL. Of the sites treated with PerioChip®, 36% gained ≥ 1 mm and 6% gained ≥ 2 mm PAL following a completed initial periodontal therapy. Conclusions: The application of the three biodegradable sustained release devices tested following initial periodontal therapy resulted in a statistically significant gain in mean PAL for Atridox™ and a significant reduction in PPD for all three devices during the study period. Furthermore, when sites treated with Atridox™ were compared with sites treated with Elyzol®, a significant difference in mean PAL gain (0.3 mm) was observed. © Blackwell Munksgaard, 2002.link_to_subscribed_fulltex