L‑arginine‑containing mesoporous silica nanoparticles embedded in dental adhesive (Arg@MSN@DAdh) for targeting cariogenic bacteria López Ruiz, Marta Ferrer Luque, Carmen María Ruiz Linares, Matilde Dental caries Dental adhesive Drug delivery system Mesoporous silica nanoparticles L-arginine Dental caries is the major biofilm-mediated oral disease in the world. The main treatment to restore caries lesions consists of the use of adhesive resin composites due to their good properties. However, the progressive degradation of the adhesive in the medium term makes possible the proliferation of cariogenic bacteria allowing secondary caries to emerge. In this study, a dental adhesive incorporating a drug delivery system based on L-arginine-containing mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) was used to release this essential amino acid as a source of basicity to neutralize the harmful acidic conditions that mediate the development of dental secondary caries. The in vitro and bacterial culture experiments proved that L-arginine was released in a sustained way from MSNs and diffused out from the dental adhesive, effectively contributing to the reduction of the bacterial strains Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus casei. Furthermore, the mechanical and bonding properties of the dental adhesive did not change significantly after the incorporation of L-arginine-containing MSNs. These results are yielding glimmers of promise for the costeffective prevention of secondary caries. 2023-01-18T12:34:33Z 2023-01-18T12:34:33Z 2022-12-01 journal article López-Ruiz, M... [et al.]. L-arginine-containing mesoporous silica nanoparticles embedded in dental adhesive (Arg@MSN@DAdh) for targeting cariogenic bacteria. J Nanobiotechnol 20, 502 (2022). [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12951-022-01714-0] https://hdl.handle.net/10481/79095 10.1186/s12951-022-01714-0 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ open access Atribución 4.0 Internacional BMC