Polysaccharide-Based Drug Delivery Systems for the Treatment of Periodontitis

Abstract

Periodontal diseases are worldwide health problems that negatively affect the lifestyle of many people. The long-term effect of the classical treatments, including the mechanical removal of bacterial plaque, is not effective enough, causing the scientific world to find other alternatives. Polymer-drug systems, which have different forms of presentation, chosen depending on the nature of the disease, the mode of administration, the type of polymer used, etc., have become very promising. Hydrogels, for example (in the form of films, micro-/nanoparticles, implants, inserts, etc.), contain the drug included, encapsulated, or adsorbed on the surface. Biologically active compounds can also be associated directly with the polymer chains by covalent or ionic binding (polymer-drug conjugates). Not just any polymer can be used as a support for drug combination due to the constraints imposed by the fact that the system works inside the body. Biopolymers, especially polysaccharides and their derivatives and to a lesser extent proteins, are preferred for this purpose. This paper aims to review in detail the biopolymer-drug systems that have emerged in the last decade as alternatives to the classical treatment of periodontal disease.

Keywords: antibacterial properties; drug delivery systems; electrospun fibers; films; gels; hydrogels; microparticles; nanoparticles; periodontitis; polysaccharides.

Figure 1

Schematic illustration of the stages of evolution of periodontal disease. Reprinted from ref. [4].

Figure 2

SEM morphology (scale bar = 500 μm) of (A) lyophilized collagen and oxi-HA/collagen hydrogel with the connective pores clearly shown in (B) CH–10%; (C) CH–20%; (D) CH–30%; (E) CH–35%; and (F) CH–40% (percentages indicate the concentration of the polymer mixture in the solution from which the hydrogel was obtained after cross-linking and lyophilization). Reprinted from ref. [50].

Figure 3

In vitro cumulative release profile of metronidazole from matrices based on CMCNa. Reprinted from ref. [70].

Figure 4

(A) Typical scanning electron microscope (SEM) morphologies of KSL-W-loaded PLGA and PLGA/CS composite microspheres; (B) visualized distributions of FITC-conjugated KSL-W in PLGA and PLGA/CS microspheres under laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM); (C) a schematic diagram of a KSL-loaded PLGA microsphere and a KSL-loaded PLGA/CS microsphere. PLGA, poly(lactide-co-glycolide); CS, chitosan; FITC, fluorescein isothiocyanate. Reprinted from ref. [87].