I-Corps: Dentifrices With Targeted Drug Release

University Of South Dakota Main Campus, Vermillion SD

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development a drug delivery platform to provide medications to areas of interest within the mouth. Currently, treatment options for dentists and their patients are limited. The proposed technology is designed to deliver drugs to both teeth and inflamed gum tissue to treat conditions such as infection, pain, and hypersensitivity. This may allow dual use of tooth desensitizing particles, targeted delivery of medications to the areas in need that may reduce the patient's exposure to the medications, and side effects, and may expand treatment options to take-home dentifrices. In addition, the proposed technology may deliver particles that instantly degrade to non-toxic compounds in the acidic environment of the stomach, which eliminates the issue of clearance from the body and may allow the use of microparticles that are safer than more commonly used. The proposed drug delivery platform may improve treatment options for dentists as well as patient outcomes. This I-Corps project is based on the development of an oral drug delivery platform targeted to treat conditions such as infection, pain, and hypersensitivity. The proposed platform is composed of microparticles of hydroxyapatite, calcium carbonate, or calcium citrate that are loaded with a drug (or drug cocktail), and treated with a coating or other surface modifier. Typical drug candidates include eugenol, fluoride, doxycycline, chlorhexidine, and/or prednisolone. The microparticles are designed to occlude dentinal tubules and/or attach to the gum tissue and release the cargo drug to the oral cavity and to the pulp of the tooth when triggered by a site-specific biochemical stimulus. Depending on how the chemistry is tuned, factors such as adhesion, release rates, and power of hydrogen (pH) sensitivity may be optimized to achieve desired performance. The microparticles can be administered as an active ingredient of a dentifrice, such as a coating on dental floss or a dental device. Research results demonstrate casein-coated microspheres of calcium carbonate loaded with eugenol and fluoride are triggered to release under acidic conditions characteristic of the presence of cariogenic bacteria1 or matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) enzyme produced by inflamed tissues. This proposed technology may provide a better understanding of the fundamental aspects of the interaction between small molecules, microscale materials, and biological tissues. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.