Iron oxide nanozymes stabilize stannous fluoride for targeted biofilm killing and synergistic oral disease prevention

Yue Huang, Yuan Liu, Nil Kanatha Pandey, Shrey Shah, Aurea Simon-Soro, Jessica C. Hsu, Zhi Ren, Zhenting Xiang, Dongyeop Kim, Tatsuro Ito, Min Jun Oh, Christine Buckley, Faizan Alawi, Yong Li, Paul J.M. Smeets, Sarah Boyer, Xingchen Zhao, Derk Joester, Domenick T. Zero, David P. Cormode*Hyun Koo*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Dental caries is the most common human disease caused by oral biofilms despite the widespread use of fluoride as the primary anticaries agent. Recently, an FDA-approved iron oxide nanoparticle (ferumoxytol, Fer) has shown to kill and degrade caries-causing biofilms through catalytic activation of hydrogen peroxide. However, Fer cannot interfere with enamel acid demineralization. Here, we show notable synergy when Fer is combined with stannous fluoride (SnF2), markedly inhibiting both biofilm accumulation and enamel damage more effectively than either alone. Unexpectedly, we discover that the stability of SnF2 is enhanced when mixed with Fer in aqueous solutions while increasing catalytic activity of Fer without any additives. Notably, Fer in combination with SnF2 is exceptionally effective in controlling dental caries in vivo, even at four times lower concentrations, without adverse effects on host tissues or oral microbiome. Our results reveal a potent therapeutic synergism using approved agents while providing facile SnF2 stabilization, to prevent a widespread oral disease with reduced fluoride exposure.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number6087
JournalNature communications
Volume14
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2023

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemistry
  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Physics and Astronomy

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