Researchers have developed a novel bioinspired adhesive patch for intraoral use, called DenTAl, which has strong adhesion against diverse wet and dynamically moving intraoral tissues.
This patch is made from biocompatible materials and is capable of delivering drugs over an extended period, making it a promising candidate for treating various oral conditions.
This is particularly useful for treating oral conditions such as oral lichen planus (OLP) and recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS), which are characterized by painful sores and lesions in the mouth. Current treatment approaches are mainly palliative and often ineffective due to inadequate contact time of the therapeutic agent with the lesions.
The researchers tested the patch with clobetasol-17-propionate, a first-line drug for treating OLP and RAS, and found that it was able to release the drug over a period of several hours. This could be useful for providing long-lasting pain relief and reducing inflammation in the affected areas.
DenTAl was found to have superior physical and adhesive properties compared to existing oral technologies, with ~2 to 100× adhesion to porcine keratinized gingiva and ~3 to 15× stretchability.
Clobetasol-17-propionate incorporated into the DenTAl was released in a tunable sustained manner for at least 3 wk and demonstrated immunomodulatory capabilities in vitro, evidenced by reductions in several cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, MCP-5, MIP-2, and TIMP-1.
Overall, the development of this DenTAl patch represents a significant advance in the field of intraoral drug delivery. With its unique combination of adhesive and drug-delivery properties, this patch has the potential to revolutionize the way we treat a range of oral conditions, providing patients with safe, effective, and long-lasting relief.
Source: Journal of Dental Research
Related reading: Microgel-Reinforced Hydrogel for Unprecedented Relief from Xerostomia.
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