{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,1]],"date-time":"2026-05-01T12:08:21Z","timestamp":1777637301944,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1777420800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol."],"abstract":"\n Introduction<\/jats:title>\n Dental caries, driven by acidogenic biofilms, remains a major global health challenge. Current chemical treatments, such as chlorhexidine and fluoride, can disrupt oral microbial homeostasis and cause adverse effects, including tooth discoloration, dentin hypersensitivity, and taste disturbances. Curcumin, a natural photosensitizer, exhibits antibacterial activity and favorable biocompatibility, however, its clinical application is limited by poor stability, low aqueous solubility, and restricted biofilm penetration. There is an urgent need to develop innovative therapeutic strategies to enhance curcumin transport into acidic cariogenic biofilms.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n We developed a pH-responsive liposomal delivery system (Cur\/DCPA-H\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n O) engineered to penetrate acidic cariogenic biofilms and enhance curcumin transport. The physicochemical characterization of Cur\/DCPA-H\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n O was performed using a UV-1800 spectrophotometer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Biocompatibility was assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays, hemolysis tests, and Live\/Dead cell staining. The antibacterial efficacy\n in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n and\n ex vivo<\/jats:italic>\n was evaluated using colony-forming unit (CFU) counting, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and crystal violet (CV) staining. An\n in vivo<\/jats:italic>\n caries model was established to assess the therapeutic efficacy of Cur\/DCPA-H\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n O, using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), Keyes' scoring, and 16S rRNA sequencing.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n The liposomes exploit charge reversal to interact with representative caries-associated bacteria (Streptococcus mutans and the early colonizer Streptococcus sanguinis), enabling deep biofilm penetration. Upon light irradiation, Cur\/DCPA-H\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n O was observed to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), which may contribute to partial disruption of the biofilm matrix and reduced bacterial viability\n in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n . In a rat caries model, treatment with Cur\/DCPA-H\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n O under light irradiation reduced caries severity and decreased lesion depth by approximately 50%. It also shifted the oral microbiome composition toward a less dysbiotic profile, as confirmed by 16S rRNA sequencing.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Discussion<\/jats:title>\n This study demonstrates that a biofilm-targeted, pH responsive liposomal curcumin delivery system may provide a safe and effective strategy for caries prevention, highlighting the potential of natural therapeutics to modulate pathogenic biofilms with limited impact on the overall microbial community.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fcimb.2026.1808450","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T06:06:52Z","timestamp":1777442812000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Biofilm-targeted liposomal curcumin delivery system for anti-caries therapy"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Yao","family":"Chen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Operative Dentistry and Endodontics, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University","place":["Tianjin, China"]},{"name":"Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Function Reconstruction & Stomatology Institute of Nankai University","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jing","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Function Reconstruction & Stomatology Institute of Nankai University","place":["Tianjin, China"]},{"name":"Department of International VIP Dental Clinic, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yongjian","family":"Sun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Function Reconstruction & Stomatology Institute of Nankai University","place":["Tianjin, China"]},{"name":"Department of International VIP Dental Clinic, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xin","family":"Yue","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Function Reconstruction & Stomatology Institute of Nankai University","place":["Tianjin, China"]},{"name":"Department of International VIP Dental Clinic, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiao-Han","family":"Tian","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Feng","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Da-Yuan","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jing","family":"Shen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Function Reconstruction & Stomatology Institute of Nankai University","place":["Tianjin, China"]},{"name":"Department of International VIP Dental Clinic, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/1556-276X-8-426","article-title":"Stability and magnetically induced heating behavior of lipid-coated fe3o4 nanoparticles","volume":"8","author":"Allam","year":"2013","journal-title":"Nanoscale Res. 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