Periodontal treatment focuses on the thorough removal of specific periodontal pathogens, mainly anaerobic Gram-negative bacteria, by mechanical scaling and root planning. In case the periodontal abscess is detected after treatment, a high dose of antimicrobial agents is commonly applied via oral administration. However, this approach increases the risk of antibiotic resistance and systemic side effects and decreases efficacy. To overcome the aforementioned issues, this study focused on the development of thermosensitive hydrogel to deliver the antibiotic drug metronidazole (MTZ) directly and locally to the oral infection site. The thermosensitive hydrogels were prepared by blending 28% w/v Pluronic F127 with various concentrations of methylcellulose (MC) and silk fibroin (SF). The gel properties, such as sol-gel transition time, viscosity, and gel strength, were investigated. The drug dissolution profiles, together with their theoretical models and gel dissolution characteristics, were also determined. All hydrogel formulations exhibited sol-gel transitions at 37°C within 1 min. An increase in MC content proportionally increased the viscosity but decreased the gel strength of the hydrogel. By contrast, the SF content did not significantly affect the viscosity but increased the gel strength of the hydrogel. The thermosensitive hydrogels also showed prolonged MTZ release characteristics for 10 days in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at pH 6.6, which followed the Higuchi diffusion model. Moreover, MTZ-thermosensitive hydrogel exhibited delayed dissolution in PBS at 37°C for more than 9 days. MTZ-thermosensitive hydrogels could be considered a prospective local oral drug delivery system to achieve efficient sustained release and improve the drug pharmacological properties in periodontitis treatment.

This study investigated the performance of novel hydrogels based on poly (N-vinylformamide) (PNVF), copolymers of NVF with N-hydroxyethyl acrylamide (HEA) (P(NVF-co-HEA)), and 2-carboxyethyl acrylate (CEA) (P(NVF-co-CEA)), which were synthesized by photopolymerization using a UVLED light source. The hydrogels were analyzed for important properties such as equilibrium water content (%EWC), contact angle, freezing and non-freezing water, and diffusion-based in vitro release. The results showed that PNVF had an extremely high %EWC of 94.57%, while a decreasing NVF content in the copolymer hydrogels led to a decrease in water content with a linear relationship with HEA or CEA content. Water structuring in the hydrogels showed appreciably more variance, with ratios of free to bound water differing from 16.7:1 (NVF) to 1.3:1 (CEA), corresponding to PNVF having ~67 water molecules per repeat unit. The release studies of different dye molecules followed Higuchi’s model, with the amount of dye released from the hydrogels depending on the amount of free water and the structural interactions between the polymer and the molecule being released. The results suggest that PNVF copolymer hydrogels have potential for controlled drug delivery by altering the polymer composition to govern the amount and ratio of free to bound water contained in the hydrogels.

Background: Coffee leaves are a major source of bioactive components and are used as ethnomedicine. However, despite their traditional medicinal use, information about their effects on antihyperlipidemia remains limited. Methods: The aims of this study were to evaluate the main components of leaf extracts from Arabica and Robusta coffees and to examine the potential of these coffee leaves in reducing lipid digestion and absorption in vitro. Results: Coffee leaf extracts from Arabica coffee contain a high amount of caffeine, whereas extracts from Robusta coffee contain high amounts of chlorogenic acid (CGA) and caffeine. Additionally, leaf extracts from Arabica and Robusta coffee demonstrated the inhibition of pancreatic lipase, decreased micellar cholesterol solubility, and reduced bile acid binding. Furthermore, these extracts resulted in a reduction in cholesterol uptake in Caco-2 cells. Molecular docking experiments supported this discovery, showing CGA and caffeine binding to Niemann–Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1), a key protein in cholesterol absorption. The results indicated that CGA and caffeine can competitively bind to NPC1L1 at the cholesterol binding pocket, reducing its cholesterol binding rate. These findings suggest that coffee leaves might help suppress lipid absorption and digestion, highlighting their potential use in preventing and treating hyperlipidemia.

This study explores the efficacy of a vancomycin-loaded silk fibroin/calcium phosphate/methylcellulose-based in situ thermosensitive hydrogel (VM-SF/CaP/MC) in promoting the osteogenic differentiation of preosteoblast cells. Three VM-SF/CaP/MC formulations with varying low (L) and high (H) concentrations of silk fibroin (SF) and calcium phosphate (CaP) were prepared: VM-HSF/LCaP/MC, VM-LSF/HCaP/MC, and VM-HSF/HCaP/MC. These hydrogels significantly enhanced MC3T3-E1 cell migration and proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner, achieving complete cell migration within 48 h. In addition, they significantly promoted alkaline phosphatase activity, collagen content, and mineralization in MC3T3-E1 cells, indicating their potential for osteogenesis. Among the hydrogel formulations, the VM-HSF/HCaP/MC hydrogel, with high SF and CaP content, demonstrated superior potential in promoting the osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells. It exhibited the highest ALP activity (11.13 ± 0.91 U/mg protein) over 14 days, along with increased collagen content (54.00 ± 1.71 µg/mg protein) and mineralization (15.79 ± 1.48 mM) over 35 days. Therefore, this formulation showed a promising candidate for clinical application in localized bone regeneration, particularly in treating osteomyelitis.