Calcium phosphate crystals, as the main component of dentin and enamel, have been widely used for the occlusion of dentinal tubules. However, the low bond strength and poor sealing effect limit their clinical practicality. In this study, a collagen/calcium dual-affinitive peptide E8DS (EEEEEEEEDSESSEEDR) and nano-hydroxyapatite (nano-HAp) flocculi were developed to seal dentin tubules for reducing dentin hypersensitivity, whereas the E8DS peptides were pre-applied to improve the adhesion of occlusive hydroxyapatite coating on dentin collagen matrix for the long-lasting sealing effect and relief from hypersensitivity. Our study showed that E8DS peptides had a strong affinity with dentin collageneous matrix that almost 43.7% of initial E8DS peptides immobilized on exposed dentin samples remained detained after continuous washing by distilled water for four weeks at a rate of 1 mL/min. Nano-HAp flocculi were obtained by re-neutralization of HAp-HCl solution and then brushed onto the surfaces of pre-treated human dentin disks with E8DS peptides, which showed a perfect occlusion of exposed dentinal tubules, as compared with Nano-HAp only and a commercial desensitizer, Green Or. With only around 10-min E8DS peptide pre-treatment, the occlusive mineral layers remained intact against consecutively stirred washing in phosphate-buffered saline or coke for 15 min, and 6 min of tooth-brushing, which implied that our E8DS peptide could comparatively improve the durability of sealant-dentin interface bonds for long-lasting dentine desensitization.

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Nanofibers exist ubiquitously in natural extracellular matrix (ECM) of all kinds of human tissues forming hydrated interwoven network. Electrospinning nanotechnology has been proven to be a powerful technique to fabricate controllable nanofibers mimicking the natural ECM structures. Hyaluronic acid (HA), as a critical component of natural ECM, has been widely used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In this study, pure HA nanofibers with average diameter of 33 +/- 5 nm, 59 +/- 12 nm, 79 +/- 12 nm and 113 +/- 19 nm were successfully prepared using different electrospinning parameters. The effect of the ambient relative humidity on HA electrospinnability was investigated for the first time in detail, which was proven to be one of the most important factors to control the morphology of HA nanofibers beside the solution properties. A critical value of humidity for a defined HA solution was observed, only below which HA nanofibers with similar diameters and morphologies could be successfully obtained. When the ambient relative humidity was higher than the critical value, the HA nanofibers started dissolving at the cross points and even fused together forming a spreading layer. Moreover, only a small amount of N, N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) was found to be required to promote the electrospinnability of HA solution by mixing with water as solvents. With the increase in the DMF content, the surface tension of the solution decreased significantly, which was thought to be benefit for the stable Taylor cone and fluid jet formation in electrospinning. At the same time, it should be noted that the conductivity of the solution also decreased with the increase of DMF content in the solution, which was believed to be responsible for the increasing diameters of HA nanofibers corresponding to higher DMF content. Controllable HA nanofibers with diameter below 100 nm have great promising for developing novel nanobiomaterials applied in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) is a new type of non-thermal sterilization technology that combines visible light with photosensitizers to generate a bioactive effect against foodborne pathogenic bacteria. In the present investigation, gelatin (GEL)/chitosan (CS)-based functional films with PDI potency were prepared by incorporating curcumin (Cur) as a photosensitizer. The properties of GEL/CS/Cur (0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 mmol/L) films were investigated by evaluating the surface morphology, chemical structure, light transmittance, and mechanical properties, as well as the photochemical and thermal stability. The results showed a strong interaction and good compatibility between the molecules present in the GEL/CS/Cur films. The addition of Cur improved different film characteristics, including thickness, mechanical properties, and solubility. More importantly, when Cur was present at a concentration of 0.1 mM, the curcumin-mediated PDI inactivated >4.5 Log CFU/mL (>99.99%) of Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Shewanella putrefaciens after 70 min (15.96 J/cm2) of irradiation with blue LED (455 ± 5) nm. Moreover, Listeria monocytogenes and Shewanella putrefaciens were completely inactivated after 70 min of light exposure when the Cur concentration was 0.2 mM. In contrast, the highest inactivation effect was observed in Vibrio parahaemolyticus. This study showed that the inclusion of Cur in the biopolymer-based film transport system in combination with photodynamic activation represents a promising option for the preparation of food packaging films.

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