# Nitric Oxide Releasing Biomimetic Nanomatrix Gel for Root Revitalization

> **NIH NIH K08** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2021 · $132,948

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Dental pulp tissue exposed to a mechanical trauma or cariogenic process can result in root canal
and/or periapical infections, which can be treated via an endodontic procedure. A regenerative endodontic
procedure (REP) attempts to revitalize pulp-dentin tissue from a previously necrotic or inflamed pulp, thus,
allowing for continued development of the pulp-dentin structure, particularly for a young immature root.
However, the current REP has resulted in unfavorable outcomes, including tooth discoloration, cervical root
fractures, inadequate pulp-dentin tissue structure formation, and multiple clinic visits.
 In order to tackle the challenges of the current REP, a highly interdisciplinary and innovative strategy is
proposed for efficient root canal disinfection and pulp-dentin tissue revitalization using an antibiotics and nitric
oxide (NO) releasing biomimetic nanomatrix gel. We hypothesize that the antibiotics and NO releasing
nanomatrix gel will demonstrate an efficient antibacterial effect and recruit endogenous stem cells to induce
pulp-dentin revitalization, while providing a favorable pulp-dentin tissue mimicking extracellular matrix
environment. The proposed strategy has several advantages over the current REP: 1) preventing tooth
discolorations by removal of minocycline, 2) preventing cervical root fractures by avoidance of calcium
hydroxide, 3) antibacterial effect of the NO, 4) sustained NO release from the nanomatrix gel by enzyme
mediated degradation, 5) reducing inflammatory responses by avoidance of reopening root canals and
stimulated bleeding, 6) biocompatibility and biodegradability of the nanomatrix gel as a functional extracellular
matrix, and 7) less extensive pulp access opening, clinical visits, and restorations with cost-effective materials
such as composites resin.
 Therefore, three specific aims are proposed to evaluate the hypothesis. Specific Aim 1 is to evaluate
the anti-biofilm effects of the antibiotics and NO releasing biomimetic nanomatrix gel in clinical samples from
the endodontic infection. Specific Aim 2 is to evaluate the cellular effects of the antibiotics and NO releasing
biomimetic nanomatrix gel on dental pulp stem cells. Specific Aim 3 is to develop a beagle infected tooth
model and evaluate the revitalization capacity of the antibiotics and NO releasing biomimetic nanomatrix gel.
The outcomes from this proposal will demonstrate the anti-biofilm effect and revitalization potential of the
antibiotics and NO releasing nanomatrix gel for the treatment of endodontic infections. Further, the outcomes
will also lead to future clinical studies for a young immature root as well as a mature root canal infection with
traumatic exposure and bacterial associated cases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10219231
- **Project number:** 5K08DE027401-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Kyounga Cheon
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $132,948
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-20 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10219231

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10219231, Nitric Oxide Releasing Biomimetic Nanomatrix Gel for Root Revitalization (5K08DE027401-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10219231. Licensed CC0.

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