Resorbable Biopolymer Filaments for Drug Release in Gingival Pockets for Adjuvant Periodontitis Treatment

牙周炎是一种慢性病，患病率很高。牙周组织的破坏是由牙周袋中附着的生物膜引发的炎症反应引起的。用于局部控释抗菌物质的生物可降解纤维，可以应用于牙周下，具有很高的临床意义，但目前还没有。在这个跨学科项目的框架内，材料科学的复合材料合成和降解表征将与非手术牙周炎治疗相结合。为此，牙医、微生物学家和材料科学家将共同推导出一个基于最先进的牙周炎治疗的概念。因此，将合成一种材料化合物，并建立一个体外实验环境。后者包括一个牙周袋模型，该模型包含流室内的生物膜。这将允许以直接和面向实践的方式测试药物释放系统的有效性。目的是产生一种完全可降解的释放系统，由于其细丝形状，它留在牙周袋中。此外，在聚合物水解过程中，该系统应在周围组织不酸化的情况下降解。这是通过对起始组分的降级分析、它们以确定的比例进行的适当组合以及最终的细丝几何形状来完成的。相应数量的防腐剂和抗生素治疗药物被固定在丝状材料系统中，在长达10天的时间内释放。这是降解和药物固定化类型以及细丝上直接发生的结果。为了尽可能接近实际应用来考察其体外效果，将对流室进行改装。其中，与实践相关的生物膜在间隙中培养并进行连续的流体交换。因此，该模型模拟了牙周袋中沟液的周转率。最后，将载药细丝插入到生物膜中，定量它们的降解、药物释放和对生物膜的影响。在此基础上--GAP模型作为一种新的研究环境--材料和工艺与细丝降解、同步药物释放和体外疗效的相关性可以在最终的系统评估中确定。从角度来看，这允许提取体内的情况，这可能会导致动物实验的减少。拟议的项目和丝状药物释放系统的实际疗效研究将为及时有效地将其转化为临床奠定基础。

Periodontitis is a chronic disease with a very high prevalence. Destruction of the periodontium is caused by inflammatory reactions triggered by adherent biofilm in the periodontal pocket. Biodegradable filaments for the controlled local release of antibacterial substances, which can be applied subgingivally, are of high clinical relevance, but currently not available. Within the framework of this interdisciplinary project, materials scientific composite synthesis and degradation characterization will be combined with non-surgical periodontitis therapy. For this purpose, dentists, microbiologists and material scientists will jointly derive a concept based on state of the art periodontitis treatment. Thus, a material compound will be synthesized and an in vitro test environment will be developed. The latter one comprises a periodontal pocket model containing a biofilm within a flow chamber. This will allow to test the efficacy of the drug release system in a direct and practice-oriented manner.The aim is to generate a release system that is completely degradable and stays in the periodontal pocket, owing to its filament shape. Furthermore, the system should degrade without acidification of the surrounding tissue during polymer hydrolysis. This is done by degradation analysis of the starting components, their suitable combination in defined ratios and the final filament geometry. Relevant quantities of antiseptic and antibiotic therapeutics are immobilized in the filamentous material system to be released over a period of up to 10 days. This occurs directly as a result of degradation and the type of drug immobilization in as well as on the filament. In order to investigate the in vitro efficacy as close to the application as possible, a flow chamber will be modified. Therein, a practice-relevant biofilm is cultured in a gap and subjected to a continuous fluid exchange. Thus, the model simulates the rate of sulcular fluid turnover in the periodontal pocket. Finally, the drug-loaded filaments are inserted in the camber and their degradation, drug release and effect on the biofilm are quantified. On this basis – a gap model as a novel investigation environment – the correlation of material and processing with filament degradation, simultaneous drug release and in vitro efficacy can be identified in a final systematic assessment. In perspective, this allows the in vivo situation to be abstracted, which may lead to a reduction in animal experiments. The proposed project and the practical efficacy study of the filamentous drug release system will serve as the basis for a time-efficient translation into the clinic.