Amyloid-Like Rapid Surface Modification for Antifouling and In-Depth Remineralization of Dentine Tubules to Treat Dental Hypersensitivity

Exposure of dentinal tubules (DTs) leads to the transmission of external stimuli within the DTs, causing dental hypersensitivity (DH). To treat DH, various desensitizers have been developed for occluding DTs. However, most desensitizers commercially available or in development are only able to seal the orifices, rather than the deep regions of the DTs, thus lacking long-term stability. Herein, it is shown that the fast amyloid-like aggregation of lysozyme (lyso) conjugated with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (lyso-PEG) can afford a robust ultrathin nanofilm on the deep walls of DTs through a rapid one-step aqueous coating process (in 2 min). The resultant nanofilm provides a highly effective antifouling platform for resisting the attachment of oral bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans and induces remineralization in the DTs to seal both the orifices and depths of the DTs by forming hydroxyapatite (HAp) minerals in situ. Both in vitro and in vivo animal experiments prove that the nanofilm-coated DTs are occluded with a depth of over 60 +/- 5 mu m, which is at least 6 times deeper than that reported in the literature. This approach thus demonstrates the concept that an amyloid-like proteinaceous nanofilm can offer an inexpensive, rapid, and efficient therapy for treating DH with long-term effect.

牙本质小管（DTs）暴露会导致外部刺激在牙本质小管内传导，从而引起牙本质敏感（DH）。为了治疗牙本质敏感，人们已经研发出多种用于封闭牙本质小管的脱敏剂。然而，大多数市面上可买到的或正在研发的脱敏剂只能封闭管口，而无法封闭牙本质小管的深部区域，因此缺乏长期稳定性。在此，研究表明，与聚乙二醇（PEG）偶联的溶菌酶（lyso）（lyso - PEG）的快速类淀粉样聚集能够通过一种快速的一步水相涂层工艺（在2分钟内）在牙本质小管的深部管壁上形成一层坚固的超薄纳米薄膜。所形成的纳米薄膜提供了一个高效的防污平台，可抵抗变形链球菌等口腔细菌的附着，并通过在原位形成羟基磷灰石（HAp）矿物质诱导牙本质小管再矿化，从而封闭牙本质小管的管口和深部。体外和体内动物实验均证明，纳米薄膜覆盖的牙本质小管封闭深度超过60±5微米，这至少是文献报道深度的6倍。因此，这种方法证明了类淀粉样蛋白质纳米薄膜能够为治疗牙本质敏感提供一种廉价、快速且有效的长期疗法这一概念。