title: Preliminary study of light-cured hydrogel for endodontic drug delivery vehicle.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Direct pulp capping is the treatment of an exposed vital pulp with a dental material to facilitate the formation of reparative dentin and maintenance of vital pulp. A bioengineered drug delivery vehicle has the potential to increase the success rate of pulp capping. The aim of this study was to develop an injectable and light-curing drug delivery vehicle for endodontic treatment including direct pulp capping.
  
  
  METHODS
  Polyethylene glycol-maleate-citrate (PEGMC) hydrogel was synthesized as a drug delivery vehicle that is composed of PEGMC (45% w/v), acrylic acid (AA) (5% w/v), 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AAPH) (0.1% w/v), and deionized water. The association between prehydrogel-solution volume and visible light-curing was examined. The cytotoxicity of the hydrogel was tested using L929 cells in a cell culture system. Ca(2+) release from the hydrogel was determined using calcium hydroxide as the incorporated medicine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that the light-curing time for hydrogel is comparable to composite resin. The hydrogel had cell toxicity similar to adhesive systems. Moreover, controlled Ca(2+) release was obtained from the calcium hydroxide incorporated hydrogel.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data suggest that hydrogel should be explored further as a promising drug delivery vehicle for vital pulp therapy and regenerative endodontics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endodontics, West Virginia University School of Dentistry, Morgantown, WV, USA.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Komabayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas, Arlington, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Aniket
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wadajkar
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas, Arlington, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Santimano
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Chul
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.affiliation: Division of Endodontology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Baylor College of Dentistry, Dallas, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Lynn A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Opperman
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Baylor College of Dentistry, Dallas, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Larry L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Bellinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas, Arlington, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas, Arlington, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Kytai T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
mesh_terms: D002126:Calcium Hydroxide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055117:Curing Lights, Dental; D003782:Dental Pulp; D003785:Dental Pulp Capping; D003809:Dentin, Secondary; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate
chemical_list: D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D002126:Calcium Hydroxide
keywords: drug delivery; hydrogel; pulp capping