Bioactive molecule carrier systems in endodontics.

INTRODUCTION Bioactive molecule carrier systems (BACS) are biomaterial-based substrates that facilitates the delivery of active signaling molecules for different biologically based therapeutic applications, which includes regenerative endodontic procedures. Tissue regeneration or organized repair in regenerative endodontic procedures are governed by the dynamic orchestration of interactions between stem/progenitor cells, bioactive molecules and extracellular matrix. BACS aids in mimicking some of the complex physiological processes, overcoming some of the challenges faced in the clinical translation of regenerative endodontic procedures. Areas covered: This narrative review addresses the role of BACS in stem/progenitor cell proliferation, migration and differentiation with application for dentin-pulp tissue engineering both in vitro and in vivo. BACS shields the bioactivity of the immobilized molecules against environmental factors, while its design allows pre-programmed release of bioactive molecules in a spatial and temporal controlled manner. The polymeric and non-polymeric materials used to synthesize micro and nanoscale-based BACS are reviewed. EXPERT OPINION Comprehensive characterization of well-designed and customized BACS is necessary to be able to deliver multiple bioactive molecules in spatio-temporally controlled manner and to address the release kinetics required for potential in vivo application. This warrants further laboratory-based experiments and rigorous clinical investigations to enable their clinical translation for regenerative endodontic procedures.