Remodeling the periodontitis microenvironment for osteogenesis by using a reactive oxygen species-cleavable nanoplatform

Modestly removing the excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a crucial role in regulating the microenvironment of periodontitis and provides favorable conditions for osteogenesis. However, the current strategy for scavenging ROS is not controllable, substantially limiting the outcomes in periodontitis. Herein, we introduced a controllable ROS-scavenging nanoplatform by encasing N-acetylcysteine (NAC, (a well-known ROS scavenger) into tailor-made ROS-cleavable amphiphilic polymer nanoparticles (PEG-ss-PCL NPs) as an intracellular delivery carrier. The existing ROS in the inflammatory microenvironment facilitated polymer degradation via breakage of thioketal bonds, and then led to encapsulated NAC release. NAC eliminated all ROS induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), while PssL-NAC adjusted the ROS level slightly higher than that of the control group. The percentage of apoptotic cells cultured with NAC and PssL-NAC decreased observably compared with that of cells cultured with 10 µg/ml LPS. The microenvironment regulated by PssL-NAC was highly suitable for osteogenic differentiation based on PCR and Western blot results, which showed higher expression levels of BMP2, Runx2, and PKA. Analysis of ALP activity and Alizarin red S staining showed consistent results. Additionally, the injection of PssL-NAC into the periodontitis area could alleviate the tissue destruction induced by ligation of the maxillary second molar. PssL-NAC showed a better ability to decrease osteoclast activity and inflammation, consequently improving the restoration of destroyed tissue. Our study suggests that ROS-responsive polymer nanoparticles loaded with NAC (PssL-NAC) can be new promising materials for the treatment of periodontitis. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: More and more studies indicate that periodontal tissue damage is closely related to the high reactive oxygen species (ROS) environment. Excessive ROS will aggravate periodontal tissue damage and is not conducive to tissue repair. However, as an essential signal molecule in human physiological activities, ROS absence is also useless for tissue repair. In this study, we proposed to improve ROS imbalance in the environment of periodontitis as a strategy to promote periodontal regeneration and successfully synthesized a smart drug-releasing nanoplatform that can respond to ROS. Besides, we validated its ability to regulate the ROS environment and promote osteogenesis through experimental data in vivo and in vitro.