Tapping basement membrane motifs: Oral junctional epithelium for surface-mediated soft tissue attachment to prevent failure of percutaneous devices.

ABSTRACT: Teeth, long-lasting percutaneous organs, feature soft tissue attachment through adhesive structures, hemidesmosomes, in the junctional epithelium basement membrane adjacent to teeth. This soft tissue attachment prevents bacterial infection of the tooth despite the rich - and harsh - microbial composition of the oral cavity. Conversely, millions of percutaneous devices (catheters, dental, and orthopedic implants) fail from infection yearly. Standard of care antibiotic usage fuels antimicrobial resistance and is frequently ineffective. Infection prevention strategies, like for dental implants, have failed in generating durable soft tissue adhesion - like that seen with the tooth - to prevent bacterial colonization at the tissue-device interface. Here, inspired by the impervious natural attac

SUBMITTER: Fischer NG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8898307 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature