Intercalation behavior and tensile strength of DNA-lipid films for the dental application

In this study, we prepared DNA-lipid films and examined their intercalation behavior and tensile strength as an indicator for usefulness as a dental material. The lipids were synthesized from the reaction of glycine, l-alanine, or l-glutamic acid with n-alkyl alcohol in the presence of p-toluenesulfonic acid. The self-standing, water-insoluble DNA-lipid films were prepared by casting the DNA-lipid complex from chloroform/ethanol solution. The DNA-lipid films formed intercalation complexes with ethidium bromide. This indicates that DNA-lipid films maintain a double helical structure. The tensile strengths of DNA films were 0.8-2.4MPa and were compatible with a commercially available material (Membrane) for guided tissue regeneration in dental use. We conclude that DNA-lipid films have potential for use as a material for the surface treatment of implanted materials or as a bone-guiding scaffold for dental application.