Bioengineered bilayer scaffold with dual-modal delivery for alveolar bone regeneration in periodontitis therapy

Periodontitis, a prevalent and progressive infectious inflammatory disease, is characterized by alveolar bone resorption and loss of periodontal attachment, presenting a challenge for complete tissue regeneration. In a study published in Glycoscience & Therapy, a team of researchers from China developed a biomimetic dual-layer scaffold (d-ACT@MIC/SIM) featuring synchronized minocycline (MIC) release and liposome-encapsulated simvastatin (SIM) delivery for optimal periodontal repair.

“The bilayer scaffold possesses a dual-functional physical barrier, in which the dense upper layer inhibits fibroblast infiltration and the porous underlying layer constructs an osteoconductive three-dimensional microenvironment to achieve spatial tissue guidance,” explains senior and co-corresponding author Chun-Xia Li.

A the same time, the scaffold serves as a bilayer drug delivery platform that realizes dual-phase infection management, featuring immediate antibacterial efficacy derived from minocycline release and long-lasting bactericidal performance contributed by the gradual degradation of chitosan matrix.

Furthermore, the scaffold exerts synergistic osteogenic effects: sustained release of simvastatin markedly strengthens osteoinductive capacity, thereby facilitating vigorous alveolar bone regeneration through the combined osteoconductive and osteoinductive mechanisms.

“Collectively, the biomaterial exhibits promising clinical translational value in periodontitis treatment and provides a novel therapeutic paradigm for periodontal tissue regeneration,” says Li.

Contact the author: 

Chun-Xia Li, Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Glycoscience and Glycotherapeutics, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, No.5 Yushan Road, Shinan District, Qingdao 266003, PR China, lchunxia@ouc.edu.cn

Funder: 

This work was supported by programs of Qingdao Key Technology Development and Research Project (25-1-1-gjgg-59-nsh, 24-1-4-xxgg-14-nsh), Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation (ZR2023MH302), National Natural Science Foundation of China (U21A20297), Shandong Major Science and Technology Project (2021ZDSYS22).

Conflict of interest:

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

See the article:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.glycos.2026.100044