Fucoidan-polydopamine composite shows potential for periodontal health
In recent years, fucoidan has been identified as being a natural biomaterial with potential to support bone formation and regeneration. For fucoidan composites to be utilised in future bone engineering applications, a deeper understanding of the osteogenic processes involved at molecular level is required.
A recent in vitro study designed a fucoidan and polydopamine composite-based film for use in a culture with periodontal ligament stem cells. The study then investigated the effects of the composite on a number of osteogenic molecular pathways. The research concluded that a fucoidan-polydopamine composite has the potential to promote bone regeneration by activating prominent molecular pathways.
The fucoidan involved in the study was a high purity extract derived from the seaweed Undaria pinnatifida, produced in Australia by Marinova.
The full paper, ‘Fucoidan (Undaria pinnatifida)/Polydopamine Composite-Modified Surface Promotes Osteogenic Potential of Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells’ was published in Marine Drugs.