# Novel Injectable Biomaterials for Periodontitis

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 2024 · $233,250

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Almost half of Americans over 30 years old have periodontitis, and 9% have severe periodontitis, which can
lead to bone loss, loss of teeth and osseointegration failure of dental implants. Current treatments for
periodontitis, including the standard scaling and root planing combined with systemic or local administration of
antibiotics, do not effectively address safety concerns, adequately prevent periodontal bone loss, or repair
damaged bone structures. Tissue engineering using stem cells/genes/proteins, combined with biomaterials, is
a promising strategy to address the challenges in periodontal bone regeneration despite the numerous hurdles
that still remain. Our primary goal, in collaboration with Dr. Shaoping. Zhang—a periodontist at University of
Iowa with extensive expertise in both basic and clinical research in periodontitis—is to develop an innovative
and translational biomaterials-based strategy to prevent and treat periodontitis-induced bone loss. PI Sun’s
pilot study indicates that the cell-permeable metabolite AKG (DMAKG) significantly inhibits osteoclastogeneis
and inflammation and promotes osteogenic differentiation in vitro. A hydrogel-delivered local DMAKG promotes
bone regeneration in aged mice, which is challenged by chronic inflammation. Moreover, we developed a new
vanillin/bioglass-based technique to fabricate an injectable chitosan hydrogel (CVB) with powerful antimicrobial
and osteogenic abilities. Thus, our central hypothesis is that an innovative, injectable, and biodegradable
chitosan hydrogel that locally releases the metabolite AKG can effectively prevent and treat periodontitis-
induced bone loss in a clinically relevant mouse model by simultaneously reducing bacterial infection,
inflammation, and osteoclastogenesis while promoting osteogenesis. In Aim 1, we will develop a novel
injectable DMAKG-releasing chitosan hydrogel that can reduce harmful microbial counts, inflammation, and
osteoclastogenesis while improving osteogenic capabilities in vitro. In Aim 2, we will establish the effectiveness
of a treatment for periodontitis-induced bone loss using a novel chitosan hydrogel-mediated DMAKG release in
a mouse model. At the completion of this exploratory/developmental R21 project, we will have developed a
novel periodontitis treatment using an injectable chitosan hydrogel that locally releases the metabolite AKG.
Our novel strategy will simultaneously reduce 1) bacteria growth, 2) chronic inflammation, 3)
osteoclastogenesis, and 4) promote osteogenesis, which are all important for effective treatment of
periodontitis, but current treatments have difficulty targeting them all. Our acellular biomaterials and metabolite-
based strategy for periodontitis treatment has greater translational potential than using biological mediators.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10883991
- **Project number:** 1R21DE033019-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **Principal Investigator:** Hongli Sun
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $233,250
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-05-13 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10883991

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10883991, Novel Injectable Biomaterials for Periodontitis (1R21DE033019-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-02 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10883991. Licensed CC0.

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