Reversing Enamel Mineralization Inhibition Using Amyloid-like Protein Film
Enamel remineralization holds considerable promise for dental caries, yet clinical translation remains hampered by the spontaneous deposition of acquired salivary pellicle (ASP), which passivates enamel surfaces and suppresses mineralization kinetics. Here, we present an ASP-repelling mineralization strategy based on a phase-transitioned bovine serum albumin (PTB) nanocoating fabricated via amyloid-like protein self-assembly. The PTB nanocoating confers robust antifouling properties that effectively inhibit ASP adsorption while simultaneously providing exceptional biomineralization activity. Under simulated physiological oral conditions, PTB drives heterogeneous nucleation and crystallization of calcium phosphate, generating a dense, well-integrated remineralized layer for enamel restoration. Both in vitro and in vivo evaluations demonstrate that ASP-coated enamel exhibits markedly attenuated remineralization capacity, whereas PTB treatment reverses this inhibition by efficiently repelling ASP and leveraging its abundant amino acid residues alongside amyloid-like architectures to direct mineral deposition. This work elucidates the interaction between ASP and remineralizing interfaces, providing a conceptually novel and clinically promising avenue to overcome remineralization barriers for caries prevention and enamel restoration.
Authors
- Z. Wang
- Y Z Zhang
- Jin Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8751-428X)
- Y. Pang
- Peng Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0463-1024)
- Yi-Xiang Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5246-5497)
- X J Yang
- C. Fu
- B. Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3722-573X)
- Y. Liu
- C. Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9480-1164)
- S. Yang
- K. Xuan
Institutions
- Shandong University (CN)
- Henan Institute of Technology (CN)
- Henan Institute of Science and Technology (CN)
- Shaanxi Normal University (CN)
- Air Force Medical University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Dental Research
- Published
- 2026-07-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1177/00220345261461497
- Primary Topic
- Bone and Dental Protein Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Higher Education Discipline Innovation Project
- National Key Research and Development Program of China
- National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars
- Key Research and Development Projects of Shaanxi Province