# NITRIC OXIDE RELEASING BIOMIMETRIC NANOMATRIX GELF OR ROOT REVITALIZATION

> **NIH NIH K08** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2022 · $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. 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 rat 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:** 10623370
- **Project number:** 3K08DE027401-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Kyounga Cheon
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $132,948
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10623370

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10623370, NITRIC OXIDE RELEASING BIOMIMETRIC NANOMATRIX GELF OR ROOT REVITALIZATION (3K08DE027401-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10623370. Licensed CC0.

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