Development of long duration releasing liposomes for prolonged content release in dental care applications

• Main Author: Chong, Jian Rong
• Other Authors: Hirotaka Sato
• Format: Thesis-Master by Research
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
• Subjects: Engineering::Nanotechnology; Engineering::Chemical engineering
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/151543
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In this study, we report the alkali-encapsulating thermosensitive liposomes (Tris-Lipo) using DPPC/SA/PEG-DSPE (9/1/0.06, molar ratio) to enable environment pH regulation by sustained continuous cargo release at endogenous temperatures of 36.5oC. Tris-Lipo successfully neutralized the environmental lactic acids from a starting 4.0 to 6.7 by releasing the alkalis for prolonged durations of up to 7 hrs and significantly prevented acid erosion of hydroxyapatite (HA) matrix. When compared with a control, Tris-Lipo was able to reduce acid erosion of HA by 94% (p < 0.01) and demineralization of the HA by 77% (p < 0.05), showing high efficacy at preventing dental caries formation in the oral cavity. The release characteristic of various other thermosensitive lipid compositions (DMPC, DSPC, DPPC) are also investigated to understand the potential of mixture design on achieving different release profiles. The sustained characteristics of thermosensitive liposomes showcased in this study can be extended for various novel therapeutic, dental, and drug delivery applications with further innovation with surface response methodology (SRM).