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Updated: Nov 28, 2025

Development of Amelogenin-chitosan Hydrogel for In Vitro Enamel Regrowth with a Dense Interface
Published on: July 10, 2014
Peptide decorated demineralized dentin matrix with enhanced bioactivity, osteogenic differentiation via carboxymethyl
Xueqin Jing1, Bingwu Xie1, Xinyue Li1
1Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and Biomedical Sciences, Chongqing, China; Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering of Higher Education, Chongqing, China.
Objectives:
To improve the biocompatibility and osteogenic activity of demineralized dentin matrix (DDM) by grafting peptides on its surface.
Methods:
DDM was obtained by pulverizing extracted human teeth that had been systematically demineralized and dried. Four groups of materials were evaluated: DDM, DDM/carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC), DDM/CMC/bone forming peptide-1 (BFP-1), and blank. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and fluorescence localization were used to characterize the surface of the DDM materials. Cell viability was assessed using a CCK8 assay, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and in vitro osteogenesis was analyzed using real-time RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) and Alizarin red and alkaline phosphatase staining. Three different materials were implanted into mandibular bone defects in rats. After 8 weeks, bone regeneration was assessed by histomorphometry of HE-stained slides.
Results:
FT-IR, XPS, and fluorescence microscopy demonstrated that the DDM surfaces were successfully modified with BFP-1. The CCK8 assay indicated that the proliferation of cells is higher on the DDM/CMC/BFP-1 material than on DDM or DDM/CMC (P < 0.05). Cells were more likely to adhere to DDM/CMC/BFP-1, as observed by SEM. Greater in vitro osteogenesis was observed in the DDM/CMC/BFP-1 group which displayed stronger alkaline phosphatase activity, more alizarin red-stained nodules, and higher target gene expression, as detected by RT-qPCR (P<0.05). HE staining of in vivo explants indicated that greater quantities of new bone had formed in the DDM/CMC/BFP-1 group.
Significance:
Compared with DDM, DDM/CMC/BFP-1 exhibited superior biocompatibility and osteogenesis, using a method of surface modification that has great potential for future clinical use.

