White spot lesions (WSL) and incipient caries on enamel surfaces are the earliest clinical outcomes for demineralization and caries. If left untreated, the caries can progress and may cause complex restorative procedures or even tooth extraction which destroys soft and hard tissue architecture as a consequence of connective tissue and bone loss. Current clinical practices are insufficient in treating dental caries. A long-standing practical challenge associated with demineralization related to dental diseases is incorporating a functional mineral microlayer which is fully integrated into the molecular structure of the tooth in repairing damaged enamel. This study demonstrates that small peptide domains derived from native protein amelogenin can be utilized to construct a mineral layer on damaged human enamel in vitro. Six groups were prepared to carry out remineralization on artificially created lesions on enamel: (1) no treatment, (2) Ca²⁺ and PO₄^3– only, (3) 1100 ppm fluoride (F), (4) 20 000 ppm F, (5) 1100 ppm F and peptide, and (6) peptide alone. While the 1100 ppm F sample (indicative of common F content of toothpaste for homecare) did not deliver F to the thinly deposited mineral layer, high F test sample (indicative of clinical varnish treatment) formed mainly CaF₂ nanoparticles on the surface. Fluoride, however, was deposited in the presence of the peptide, which also formed a thin mineral layer which was partially crystallized as fluorapatite. Among the test groups, only the peptide-alone sample resulted in remineralization of fairly thick (10 μm) dense mineralized layer containing HAp mineral, resembling the structure of the healthy enamel. The newly formed mineralized layer exhibited integration with the underlying enamel as evident by cross-sectional imaging. The peptide-guided remineralization approach sets the foundation for future development of biomimetic products and treatments for dental health care.

中文翻译：

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仿生牙齿修复：Amelogenin衍生的肽使人牙釉质的体外再矿化。

牙釉质表面的白斑病变（WSL）和初期龋齿是脱矿物质和龋齿的最早临床结果。如果不及时治疗，龋齿会进展，并可能导致复杂的修复程序，甚至拔牙，这是由于结缔组织和骨质流失而破坏软，硬组织的结构。当前的临床实践不足以治疗龋齿。与与牙齿疾病有关的脱矿质有关的长期实践挑战是引入功能性矿物微层，该微层在修复受损的牙釉质时完全整合到牙齿的分子结构中。这项研究表明，可以利用源自天然蛋白牙釉蛋白的小肽域在体外构建受损的人类牙釉质上的矿物质层。仅限于²⁺和PO ₄ ^3-，（3）1100 ppm氟（F），（4）20000 ppm F，（5）1100 ppm F和肽，以及（6）单独的肽。虽然1100 ppm F样品（指示用于家庭护理的牙膏中的常见F含量）没有将F输送到薄薄的矿物质层，但高F测试样品（指示用于临床清漆处理）主要形成CaF _2。表面上的纳米颗粒。但是，在肽存在下沉积了氟化物，这也形成了一层薄的矿物质层，部分结晶为氟磷灰石。在测试组中，仅肽样样品导致含有HAp矿物质的相当厚的（10μm）致密矿化层的再矿化，类似于健康牙釉质的结构。从横截面成像中可以明显看出，新形成的矿化层与下层搪瓷表现出整体性。肽引导的再矿化方法为仿生产品和牙科保健治疗的未来发展奠定了基础。