Author ORCID Identifier
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2024
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Chemistry
First Advisor
Grigoriy A Sereda
Abstract
Dental diseases present a significant global health challenge, affecting individuals across all age groups. This spectrum of oral health issues encompasses conditions like dental caries, periodontitis (gum disease), and oral infections. In the customer discovery interviews, dental patients have raised concerns about potential drug overexposure during and after procedures, driven by fears of adverse effects, allergies, and the increasing use of antibiotics and anesthesia. Dentists are increasingly focused on minimizing opioid and steroid-based medication doses due to potential side effects and addiction risks. This study explores an innovative approach to targeted drug delivery in the dental environment using eco-friendly and non-toxic CaCO3 microparticles (CCMPs). These particles serve as drug carriers, delivering medications to bacterial infection sites. The casein (CAS) coated CCMPs disintegrate in acidic or specific enzyme environments produced by bacteria, facilitating precise drug release at the infection site. Unused particles are safely eliminated or degraded into non-toxic compounds in the stomach's acidic environment. In vitro experiments with encapsulated drugs of interest (DOI), including eugenol, fluoride, chlorhexidine, and doxycycline within CCMPs, have demonstrated promising results in releasing drugs under acidic conditions. The enzymatic response of the CCMP-DOI-CAS system was successfully evaluated using veratridine, an anticancer drug, in the presence of MMP-9 to simulate the conditions of inflamed tissues. The increased activity of the MMP-9 enzyme is a well-documented characteristic of inflamed tissues, reflecting its role in the degradation of extracellular matrix components and participation in the inflammatory processes. Incorporating these non-toxic CCMPs into dentifrices has the potential to reduce drug doses, addressing concerns of drug overexposure while expanding at-home oral care options. Tooth-on-a-chip is a type of microfluidic device that replicates the actual tooth cavity environment in a miniaturized form. This enables the study of dentin surface functions, such as dentin permeability, dental tubule occlusion, tooth interaction with oral bacteria, and antibacterial responses within a simulated oral environment. It provides a convenient platform for evaluating the efficiency of the CCMP-DOI-CAS drug delivery system.
Subject Categories
Chemistry
Keywords
Calcium carbonate microparticles, Casein coating, Chlorhexidine and Doxycycline, Dentin properties, Targeted oral drug delivery, Tooth-on-a-chip
Number of Pages
112
Publisher
University of South Dakota
Recommended Citation
Wijewardhane, Krishantha, "CALCIUM CARBONATE-BASED STIMULI-RESPONSIVE MICROCARRIERS FOR TARGETED DRUG DELIVERY AGAINST ORAL BACTERIAL INFECTIONS AND DEVELOPMENT OF GLASS-FREE MICROFLUIDICS AS AN ANALYTICAL PLATFORM" (2024). Dissertations and Theses. 292.
https://red.library.usd.edu/diss-thesis/292