29 May 2023

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New bioinspired adhesive patch for the treatment of painful oral lesions

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A study exploring the development of Dental Tough Adhesive or DenTAI, a novel bioinspired adhesive patch with robust mechanical properties, capable of strong adhesion, was presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the AADOCR, held in conjunction with the 47th Annual Meeting of the CADR.

According to a news release from the AADOCR, the novel adhesive patch provides extended release of clobetasol-17-propionate, the first-line drug for treating oral lichen planus (OLP) and recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS). 

The study, led by Dr. David T. Wu, DMD, of the Harvard University School of Dental Medicine, characterized ex vivo adhesion to diverse oral tissues (tongue, lip, gingiva, buccal mucosa) with mechanical testing. In vitro cytotoxicity was examined with WST cell viability assay on primary human gingival epithelial cells cultured in DenTAl conditioned media. Clobetasol-17-propionate release was assessed with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). In vitro immunomodulation assay was performed.

DenTAl were found to have superior physical and adhesive properties compared to existing oral technologies, with ~2-100x adhesion (up to 1600 J/m2) to oral tissues and ~3-15x stretchability. Clobetasol-17-propionate incorporated into the DenTAl was released in a tunable sustained manner over weeks and demonstrated immunomodulatory capabilities in vitro, evidenced by reductions in several cytokines including TNF-a, IL6, IL10, MCP5, MIP-2, and TIMP-1.

The study’s findings suggested that DenTAl may be a promising device for intraoral delivery of small molecule drugs applicable to the management of painful oral lesions associated with inflammatory conditions such as OLP and RAS.

This research was presented as part of the Interactive Talk presentation, “Tough Adhesive Hydrogel for Intraoral Drug Delivery,” which took place on March 18, 2023, during a keynote address on oral cancer, chronic inflammatory conditions and therapeutic innovations.

This article was also published on Odontologia33. 

About AADOCR

The American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to drive dental, oral, and craniofacial research to advance health and well-being. AADOCR represents the individual scientists, clinician-scientists, dental professionals, and students based in academic, government, non-profit and private-sector institutions who share our mission. AADOCR is the largest division of the International Association for Dental Research. Learn more at www.aadocr.org.

Wu DT, Freedman BR, Vining KH, et al. "Tough Adhesive Hydrogel for Intraoral Adhesion and Drug Delivery." Journal of Dental Research. 2023;102(5):497-504. doi:10.1177/00220345221148684.