title: An amelogenin-chitosan matrix promotes assembly of an enamel-like layer with a dense interface.
abstract: Biomimetic reconstruction of tooth enamel is a significant topic of study in materials science and dentistry as a novel approach to the prevention, restoration, and treatment of defective enamel. We have developed a new amelogenin-containing chitosan hydrogel for enamel reconstruction that works through amelogenin supramolecular assembly, stabilizing Ca-P clusters and guiding their arrangement into linear chains. These amelogenin Ca-P composite chains further fuse with enamel crystals and eventually evolve into enamel-like co-aligned crystals, anchored to the natural enamel substrate through a cluster growth process. A dense interface between the newly grown layer and natural enamel was formed and the enamel-like layer improved the hardness and elastic modulus compared with etched enamel. We anticipate that this chitosan hydrogel will provide effective protection against secondary caries because of its pH-responsive and antimicrobial properties. Our studies introduce an amelogenin-containing chitosan hydrogel as a promising biomaterial for enamel repair and demonstrate the potential of applying protein-directed assembly to biomimetic reconstruction of complex biomaterials.
authors.affiliation: Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
authors.forename: Qichao
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ruan
authors.forename: Yuzheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiudong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nutt
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moradian-Oldak
mesh_terms: D053523:Amelogenin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000637:transplantation; D006801:Humans; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D008422:Materials Testing; D008964:Molar, Third / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects; D013499:Surface Properties; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D053523:Amelogenin; D020100:Hydrogels; D048271:Chitosan