Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
BK21 FOUR Project, Yonsei University College of Dentistry, Seoul, Korea.
Nat Commun. 2024 Oct 24;15(1):9205. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-53489-7.
Medical plastic-appliance-based healthcare services, especially in dentistry, generate tremendous amounts of plastic waste. Given the physiological features of our mouth, it is desirable to substitute dental care plastics with viscoelastic and antimicrobial bioplastics. Herein, we develop a medical-grade and sustainable bioplastic that is viscoelastic enough to align the tooth positions, resists microbial contamination, and exhibits recyclable life cycles. In particular, we devise a molecular template involving entanglement-inducing and antimicrobial groups and prepare a silk fibroin-based dental care bioplastic. The generated compactly entangled structure endows great flexibility, toughness, and viscoelasticity. Therefore, a satisfactory orthodontic outcome is accomplished, as demonstrated by the progressive alignment of male rabbit incisors within the 2.5 mm range. Moreover, the prepared bioplastic exhibits resistance to pathogenic colonization of intraoral microbes such as Streptococcaceae and Veillonellaceae. Because the disentanglement of entangled domains enables selective separation and extraction of the components, the bioplastic can be recycled into a mechanically identical one. The proposed medical-grade and sustainable bioplastic could potentially contribute to a green healthcare future.
基于医用塑料器具的医疗保健服务，特别是在牙科领域，会产生大量的塑料废物。鉴于我们口腔的生理特点，理想情况下，牙科塑料可以用黏弹且具有抗菌性能的生物塑料来替代。在此，我们开发了一种具有医用级和可持续性的生物塑料，其黏弹性足以调整牙齿位置，抵抗微生物污染，并具有可回收的生命周期。具体而言，我们设计了一种包含缠结诱导和抗菌基团的分子模板，并制备了一种基于丝素蛋白的牙科保健生物塑料。所生成的紧密缠结结构赋予了其优异的柔韧性、韧性和黏弹性。因此，通过逐步调整雄性兔门牙在 2.5mm 范围内的位置，实现了令人满意的正畸效果。此外，所制备的生物塑料表现出对口腔内微生物（如链球菌科和韦荣球菌科）定植的抵抗力。由于缠结域的解缠结能够实现选择性分离和提取成分，因此该生物塑料可以回收为具有相同机械性能的产品。这种医用级和可持续性的生物塑料可能为绿色医疗保健的未来做出贡献。
