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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biomaterials
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1574562
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovative Dental Biomaterials for Advancing Oral Health CareView all 12 articles
Enhancing Caries-Affected Dentin Bonding with a Mussel-Inspired Primer
Provisionally accepted- 1The 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force, Kunming, China
- 2Yunnan Key Laboratory of Stomatology and Department of Dental Research, Kunming Medical University, kunming, China
- 3The First Hospital of Kunming, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
- 4Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
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Dental caries is the most common oral disease. In caries-affected dentin (CAD), excessive mineral loss, extensive collagen exposure and collapse, increased enzyme activity, and bacterial residues result in significantly lower resin bonding strength and durability compared to sound dentin (SD). Currently, there are no effective clinical strategies to enhance CAD bonding. Inspired by the excellent wet adhesion capability and collagen affinity of marine mussels, this study aimed to evaluate a mussel-inspired polymerizable monomer (catechol–Lys–methacrylate [CLM]) as a primer to improve CAD bonding performance. The interactions between CLM and collagen were analyzed via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Microtensile bond strength, nanoleakage, in-situ zymography, and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) were used to assess the bond strength and interface stability. Furthermore, the antibacterial properties of CLM were evaluated using colony-forming units counts, live/dead bacterial staining, and bacterial morphology observation. FTIR and NMR results showed that CLM was successfully grafted onto CAD collagen through its catechol groups, facilitating subsequent chemical bonding with resin. CLM increased the immediate CAD bond strength by approximately 30% and reduced immediate nanoleakage by approximately 24%, maintaining effectiveness after aging. Moreover, collagen chemical modification by CLM promoted collagen crosslinking, inhibited endogenous enzymatic activity, and conferred antibacterial properties, further enhancing bonding interface stability. In summary, this study reports the application of a mussel-inspired monomer, CLM, in CAD bonding. During the wet bonding process, CLM not only improves collagen stability but also serves as a molecular bridge between inorganic resin and organic collagen, thereby enhancing both immediate and aged bonding performance. These findings showing promising clinical application potential.
Keywords: Dental adhesives, Dental diseases, mussel, Cross-Linking Reagents, Collagen, Antibacterial. 2 dental adhesives, Crosslinking reagents, Antibacterial
Received: 11 Feb 2025; Accepted: 18 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hu, He, Wang, Wei, Xing and Xiao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Xiaodong Xing, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, Jiangsu Province, China
Yuhong Xiao, The 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force, Kunming, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.