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The oral cavity and oropharynx are complex environments that are susceptible to physical, chemical, and microbiological insults. They are also common sites for pathological and cancerous changes. The effectiveness of conventional locally‐administered medications against diseases affecting these oral milieus may be compromised by constant salivary flow. For systemically‐administered medications, drug resistance and adverse side‐effects are issues that need to be resolved. New strategies for drug delivery have been investigated over the last decade to overcome these obstacles. Synthesis of nanoparticle‐containing agents that promote healing represents a quantum leap in ensuring safe, efficient drug delivery to the affected tissues. Micro/nanoencapsulants with unique structures and properties function as more favorable drug‐release platforms than conventional treatment approaches. The present review provides an overview of newly‐developed nanocarriers and discusses their potential applications and limitations in various fields of dentistry and oral medicine. A wide variety of micro/nanoscale platforms are employed for oral and dental applications including tissue regeneration, infection control, and cancer management. Such micro and nanocarriers deliver ions (e.g., fluoride, calcium, strontium), antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal compounds, as well as genes and proteins.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the leading causes of death and is the fourth most malignant tumor in men. The epigenetic and genetic alterations appear to be responsible for development of PC. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a powerful genetic tool that can bind to its target and reduce expression level of a specific gene. The various critical genes involved in PC progression can be effectively targeted using diverse siRNAs. Moreover, siRNAs can enhance efficacy of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in inhibiting PC progression. However, siRNAs suffer from different off target effects and their degradation by enzymes in serum can diminish their potential in gene silencing. Loading siRNAs on nanoparticles can effectively protect them against degradation and can inhibit off target actions by facilitating targeted delivery. This can lead to enhanced efficacy of siRNAs in PC therapy. Moreover, different kinds of nanoparticles such as polymeric nanoparticles, lipid nanoparticles and metal nanostructures have been applied for optimal delivery of siRNAs that are discussed in this article. This review also reveals that how naked siRNAs and their delivery systems can be exploited in treatment of PC and as siRNAs are currently being applied in clinical trials, significant progress can be made by translating the current findings into the clinical settings.

Sweet proteins are a class of proteins with the ability to elicit a sweet sensation in humans upon interaction with sweet taste receptor T1R2/T1R3. Single-chain Monellin, MNEI, is among the sweetest proteins known and it could replace sugar in many food and beverage recipes. Nonetheless, its use is limited by low stability and high aggregation propensity at neutral pH. To solve this inconvenience, we designed a new construct of MNEI, dubbed Mut9, which led to gains in both sweetness and stability. Mut9 showed an extraordinary stability in acidic and neutral environments, where we observed a melting temperature over 20 °C higher than that of MNEI. In addition, Mut9 resulted twice as sweet than MNEI. Both proteins were extensively characterized by biophysical and sensory analyses. Notably, Mut9 preserved its structure and function even after 10 min boiling, with the greatest differences being observed at pH 6.8, where it remained folded and sweet, whereas MNEI lost its structure and function. Finally, we performed a 6-month shelf-life assessment, and the data confirmed the greater stability of the new construct in a wide range of conditions. These data prove that Mut9 has an even greater potential for food and beverage applications than MNEI.