Cisplatin (Cp), a chemotherapeutic agent, interacts with purines on tumor DNA, causing tumor cell apoptosis. However, cisplatin has the characteristics of non-specific distribution and lack of selectivity, resulting in systemic toxicity. Moreover, it cannot maintain the drug’s high concentration in the tumor-weak acid environment. These flaws of cisplatin restrict its use in clinical applications. Therefore, a pH-responsive carbon nanotube-modified nano-drug delivery system (CNTs/Gel/Cp) was constructed in this study using gelatin (Gel)-modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs/Gel) loaded with cisplatin to release drugs precisely and slowly, preventing premature inactivation and maintaining an effective concentration. When M_Cp:M_CNTs/Gel = 1:1, the drug reaches the highest loading rate and entrapment efficiency. To achieve the sustained-release effect, CNTs/Gel/Cp can release the medicine steadily for a long time in a pH environment of 6.0. Additionally, CNTs/Gel/Cp display antitumor properties comparable to cisplatin in a manner that varies with the dosage administered. These findings indicate that CNTs/Gel/Cp have an effective, sustained release of cisplatin and a good antitumor effect, providing a theoretical and experimental basis for the clinical application of modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a new drug delivery system.

The long-term stability of dentin bonding is equally crucial for minimally invasive aesthetic restoration. Although the dentin bonding meets clinical stand

In this work, a solvent evaporation casting approach was used to prepare ZnO@PDA/Zein nanocomposite films, where polydopamine-modified zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO@PDA NPs) were incorporated into a zein matrix as the film-forming agent. This nanocomposite film adhered uniformly to the surface of oral therapeutic instruments and exhibited good antibacterial effects. At a doping concentration of 1.2 mg/mL, the film exhibited an antibacterial effect against Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) , and at a doping concentration of 0.6 mg/mL, the film exhibited antibacterial effects against Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) , along with good biocompatibility. This study introduces a novel ZnO@PDA/Zein nanocomposite film with enhanced antibacterial efficacy and biocompatibility, offering a promising solution for preventing biofilm formation on oral therapeutic instruments.

Periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory disease driven by plaque biofilm, is a leading cause of tooth loss in adults worldwide. Effective treatment requires not only infection and inflammation control but, more critically, functional regeneration of the periodontal ligament, cementum, and alveolar bone. Periodontal regeneration, however, is a highly ordered, multi-stage biological cascade involving temporally coordinated phases of blood clot formation, inflammatory regulation, tissue formation, and remodeling. Conventional single-drug or mixed-delivery strategies cannot distinguish the distinct demands of each healing phase and fail to replicate this natural rhythm. Sequential controlled-release systems address this gap by delivering multiple bioactive agents (antimicrobials, immunomodulators, and growth factors) in a programmed order tailored to the healing cascade, enabling precise modulation of the periodontal microenvironment and orderly tissue regeneration. This review systematically summarizes advances in these systems, classifying material platforms into four categories: (1) diffusion-barrier and degradation-kinetics systems, including multilayer films, core–shell fibers, porous microspheres, and microneedle arrays; (2) stimuli-responsive systems triggered by pH, matrix metalloproteinases, reactive oxygen species, or exogenous physical stimuli; (3) cell and extracellular vesicle-based systems exploiting the inflammatory tropism of M2 macrophage-derived exosomes for targeted immune reprogramming; and (4) asymmetric structural designs achieving spatiotemporal coordination of physical and biochemical signals through hierarchical architectures. These systems follow an anti-infection/anti-inflammation first, osteogenesis later therapeutic logic, circumventing temporal antagonism among bioactive factors. However, significant challenges hinder clinical translation, including individualized prediction of release kinetics, long-term biocompatibility of carrier materials, material retention under dynamic oral conditions, translational limitations of animal models, and precise regulation of complex factor networks. Future progress will likely depend on multi-responsive and logic-gated systems, deeper integration of biotechnology and immunomodulation, personalized precision medicine, AI-driven material design, and robust clinical translational research.

While carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have demonstrated substantial dentin adhesion enhancement through collagen fiber reinforcement leveraging their exceptional m