Abstract
BACKGROUND: Bacterial infection and inflammation often are the main causes of pulp-dentin complex damage and pulp necrosis. The regeneration capacity of the pulp-dentin complex is impeded by the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory limitations of existing biomaterials, that results in high rates of failure probability in vital pulp treatments. The present study investigated the antibacterial properties and anti-inflammatory effects of gelatin nanofibrous scaffolds containing rutin nanoparticles on dental pulp stem cells. METHODS: gelatin nanofibrous scaffolds containing rutin nanoparticles were generated using electrospinning method. Physicochemical characterizations analysis was accomplished using scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. Antibacterial properties were tested against Enterococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using the disc diffusion technique. Anti-inflammatory effects were investigated by measuring IL-6 and TNF-α levels in dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) grown on the scaffold. Data was analyzed using independent t-test, One-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc tests. The significance level was p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: The integration of rutin into the gelatin nanofibrous scaffolds was validated using FTIR and XRD studies, which was demonstrated effective crystallization and structural incorporation. The SEM results revealed the presence of consistent nanofiber networks that effectively incorporated rutin. The antibacterial tests showed notable inhibition zones of 30 mm against E. faecalis and 28 mm against P. aeruginosa. The scaffolds containing rutin demonstrated a significant decrease in IL-6 and TNF-α levels in DPSCs (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Gelatin nanofibrous scaffold containing rutin nanoparticles, providing advantages concerning of both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, may have potential for regenerating the pulp-dentin complex. These findings support further development of rutin-containing biomaterials for improved outcomes in vital pulp treatments.