PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

A novel way to apply drugs to dental plaque

Nanoparticles release drugs to reduce tooth decay

A novel way to apply drugs to dental plaque
2015-04-01
(Press-News.org) Therapeutic agents intended to reduce dental plaque and prevent tooth decay are often removed by saliva and the act of swallowing before they can take effect. But a team of researchers has developed a way to keep the drugs from being washed away.

Dental plaque is made up of bacteria enmeshed in a sticky matrix of polymers--a polymeric matrix--that is firmly attached to teeth. The researchers, led by Danielle Benoit at the University of Rochester and Hyun Koo at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Dental Medicine, found a new way to deliver an antibacterial agent within the plaque, despite the presence of saliva.

Their findings have been published in the journal ACS Nano.

"We had two specific challenges," said Benoit, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering. "We had to figure out how to deliver the anti-bacterial agent to the teeth and keep it there, and also how to release the agent into the targeted sites."

To deliver the agent--known as farnesol--to the targeted sites, the researchers created a spherical mass of particles, referred to as a nanoparticle carrier. They constructed the outer layer out of cationic--or positively charged--segments of the polymers. For inside the carrier, they secured the drug with hydrophobic and pH-responsive polymers.

The positively-charged outer layer of the carrier is able to stay in place at the surface of the teeth because the enamel is made up, in part, of HA (hydroxyapatite), which is negatively charged. Just as oppositely charged magnets are attracted to each other, the same is true of the nanoparticles and HA. Because teeth are coated with saliva, the researchers weren't certain the nanoparticles would adhere. But not only did the particles stay in place, they were also able to bind with the polymeric matrix and stick to dental plaque.

Since the nanoparticles could bind both to saliva-coated teeth and within plaque, Benoit and colleagues used them to carry an anti-bacterial agent to the targeted sites. The researchers then needed to figure out how to effectively release the agent into the plaque.

A key trait of the inner carrier material is that it destabilizes at acidic--or low pH--levels, such as 4.5, allowing the drug to escape more rapidly. And that's exactly what happens to the pH level in plaque when it's exposed to glucose, sucrose, starch, and other food products that cause tooth decay. In other words, the nanoparticles release the drug when exposed to cavity-causing eating habits--precisely when it is most needed to quickly stop acid-producing bacteria.

The researchers tested the product in rats that were infected with Streptococcus mutans--a microbe that causes tooth decay. "We applied the test solutions to rats' mouths twice daily for 30 seconds, simulating what a person might do using a mouth rinse morning and night," said Hyun Koo, a professor in the Department of Orthodontics and co-senior author of the work. "When the drug was administered without the nanoparticle carriers, there was no effect on the number of cavities and only a very small reduction in their severity. But when it was delivered by the nanoparticle carriers, both the number and severity of the cavities were reduced."

Plaque formation and tooth decay are chronic conditions that need to be monitored through regular visits to the dental office. The researchers hope their results will someday lead to better--and perhaps permanent--treatments for dental plaque and tooth decay, as well as other biofilm-related diseases.

INFORMATION:


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
A novel way to apply drugs to dental plaque

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Study finds eyeliner application may cause eye problems

Study finds eyeliner application may cause eye problems
2015-04-01
People who apply eyeliner on the inner eyelid run the risk of contaminating the eye and causing vision trouble, according to research by a scientist at the University of Waterloo. This is the first study to prove that particles from pencil eyeliner move into the eye. Dr. Alison Ng, at the Centre for Contact Lens Research at Waterloo, directed the study when she was at Cardiff University in Wales. The team's findings appear in Eye and Contact Lens Science and Clinical Practice, the official peer-reviewed journal of the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists. Dr. ...

Failed synchronization of the womb's clock with mother's body clock critical in miscarriages

2015-04-01
If you are trying to have a baby, a good night's sleep is more important than ever. A new research report appearing in The FASEB Journal shows that the womb has its own "body clock" that needs to synchronize with the mother's body clock to ensure optimal conditions for fetal growth and development. The inability of a mother's body clock to synchronize with the womb's clock may be at least part of the reason why some women have difficulty carrying a pregnancy to full term. Specifically, the failed synchronization switches off body clock genes in cells lining the womb, which ...

Polar bears unlikely to thrive on land-based foods

2015-04-01
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A team of scientists led by the U.S. Geological Survey found that polar bears, increasingly forced on shore due to sea ice loss, may be eating terrestrial foods including berries, birds and eggs, but any nutritional gains are limited to a few individuals and likely cannot compensate for lost opportunities to consume their traditional, lipid-rich prey -- ice seals. "Although some polar bears may eat terrestrial foods, there is no evidence the behavior is widespread," said Dr. Karyn Rode, lead author of the study and scientist with the USGS. "In the ...

Night owls face greater risk of developing diabetes than early risers

2015-04-01
Washington, DC--Night owls are more likely to develop diabetes, metabolic syndrome and sarcopenia than early risers, even when they get the same amount of sleep, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. The study examined the difference between night and morning chronotypes, or a person's natural sleep-wake cycle. Staying awake later at night is likely to cause sleep loss, poor sleep quality, and eating at inappropriate times, which might eventually lead to metabolic change. "Regardless of lifestyle, ...

BPA exposure during pregnancy linked to mothers' future diabetes risk

2015-04-01
Washington, DC--Exposure to the endocrine-disrupting chemical bisphenol A during pregnancy may raise a mother's susceptibility to weight gain and diabetes later in life, according to a new animal study published in the Endocrine Society's journal Endocrinology. A chemical used to manufacture plastics and epoxy resins, bisphenol A (BPA) is found in a variety of consumer products, including plastic bottles, food cans and cash register receipts. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have estimated that more than 96 percent of Americans have BPA in their bodies. BPA ...

Broad Institute-MIT team identifies highly efficient new cas9 for in vivo genome editing

2015-04-01
Cambridge, Mass. April 1, 2015-- A collaborative study between researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the National Center for Biotechnology Information of the National Institutes of Health (NIH-NCBI) has identified a highly efficient Cas9 nuclease that overcomes one of the primary challenges to in vivo genome editing. This finding, published today in Nature, is expected to help make the CRISPR toolbox accessible for in vivo experimental and therapeutic applications. Originally discovered in bacteria, the CRISPR-Cas9 ...

Longer DNA fragments reveal rare species diversity

2015-04-01
Many microbes cannot be cultivated in a laboratory setting, hindering attempts to understand Earth's microbial diversity. Since microbes are heavily involved in, and critically important to environmental processes from nutrient recycling, to carbon processing, to the fertility of topsoils, to the health and growth of plants and forests, accurately characterizing them, as a basis for understanding their activities, is a major goal of the Department of Energy (DOE). One approach has been to study collected DNA extracted from the complex microbial community, or the metagenome, ...

Ebola planning created need for unprecedented preparedness in hospitals

2015-04-01
NEW YORK (April 1, 2015) - Hospitals and health systems preparing for and treating patients with Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the fall of 2015 faced unexpected challenges for ensuring safety of staff, patients and the community. The experiences are detailed in two studies published online in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). In a case study of the care of two patients with confirmed or suspected EVD at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center's Special Clinical Studies Unit, ...

How we hear distance: Echoes are essential for humans to perceive how far away a sound is

2015-04-01
Mammals are good at figuring out which direction a sound is coming from, whether it's a rabbit with a predator breathing down its neck or a baby crying for its mother. But how we judge how far away that sound is was a mystery until now. Researchers from UConn Health report in the 1 April issue of the Journal of Neuroscience that echoes and fluctuations in volume (amplitude modulation) are the cues we use to figure the distance between us and the source of a noise. "This opens up a new horizon," says Duck O. Kim, a neuroscientist at UConn Health. Researchers have long ...

Drop the bounce test: A common battery test often bounces off target

Drop the bounce test: A common battery test often bounces off target
2015-04-01
Don't throw away those bouncing batteries. Researchers at Princeton University have found that common test of bouncing a household battery is not actually an effective way to check a battery's charge. "The bounce does not tell you whether the battery is dead or not, it just tells you whether the battery is fresh," said Daniel Steingart, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and of the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. The battery bounce test, popularized in online videos, shows that fully charged batteries bounce very little ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Osteoporosis treatment benefits people older than 80

Consuming more protein may protect patients taking anti-obesity drug from muscle loss

Thyroid treatment may improve gut health in people with hypothyroidism

Combination of obesity medication tirzepatide and menopause hormone therapy fuels weight loss

High blood sugar may have a negative impact on men’s sexual health

Emotional health of parents tied to well-being of children with growth hormone deficiency

Oxytocin may reduce mood changes in women with disrupted sleep

Mouse study finds tirzepatide slowed obesity-associated breast cancer growth

CMD-OPT model enables the discovery of a potent and selective RIPK2 inhibitor as preclinical candidate for the treatment of acute liver injury

Melatonin receptor 1a alleviates sleep fragmentation-aggravated testicular injury in T2DM by suppression of TAB1/TAK1 complex through FGFR1

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals Shen-Bai-Jie-Du decoction retards colorectal tumorigenesis by regulating the TMEM131–TNF signaling pathway-mediated differentiation of immunosuppressive dendritic ce

Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B Volume 15, Issue 7 Publishes

New research expands laser technology

Targeted radiation offers promise in patients with metastasized small cell lung cancer to the brain

A high clinically translatable strategy to anti-aging using hyaluronic acid and silk fibroin co-crosslinked hydrogels as dermal regenerative fillers

Mount Sinai researchers uncover differences in how males and females change their mind when reflecting on past mistakes

CTE and normal aging are difficult to distinguish, new study finds

Molecular arms race: How the genome defends itself against internal enemies

Tiny chip speeds up antibody mapping for faster vaccine design

KTU experts reveal why cultural heritage is important for community unity

More misfolded proteins than previously known may contribute to Alzheimer’s and dementia

“Too much going on”: Autistic adults overwhelmed by non-verbal social cues

What’s driving America’s deep freezes in a warming world?

A key role of brain protein in learning and memory is deciphered by scientists

Heart attacks don’t follow a Hollywood script

Erin M. Schuman wins 2026 Nakasone Award for discovery on neural synapse function and change during formation of memories

Global ocean analysis could replace costly in-situ sound speed profiles in seafloor positioning, study finds

Power in numbers: Small group professional coaching reduces rates of physician burnout by nearly 30%

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage: A comprehensive review of CCUS-EOR

New high-temperature stable dispersed particle gel for enhanced profile control in CCUS applications

[Press-News.org] A novel way to apply drugs to dental plaque
Nanoparticles release drugs to reduce tooth decay