Curcumin-alendronate carbon dots: A dual-logic strategy for precision treatment of periodontitis

Periodontitis, a multifaceted chronic inflammatory disorder affecting the oral cavity, with its etiology intricately linked to oxidative stress. Existing pharmacotherapies for periodontitis often suffer from a lack of target specificity and are challenged by the double demands of mitigating oxidative stress and promoting tissue regeneration in a coordinated, multi-pronged strategy. To address the challenges of "where" and "how", this study synthesizes both guidance and therapeutic dual logic-based Curcumin-Alendronate carbon dots (Cur-Alen CDs). Cur-Alen CDs retain the characteristics of alendronate which can accurately target periodontitis bone tissue and osteoclasts to exert guidance logic. At the same time, the therapeutic logic of Cur-Alen CDs is reflected in its superior antioxidant activity to curcumin, which effectively down-regulates the expression of key inflammatory factors and reverse the imbalance of the bone microenvironment in periodontitis. Notably, RNA sequencing of periodontitis rat models revealed that Cur-Alen CDs treat periodontitis by modulating the NF-κB signaling pathway. This study highlights the dual-logic properties of Cur-Alen CDs, namely the multi-faceted modulation of the inflammatory microenvironment and the specific targeting ability. The potential of Cur-Alen CDs for the precision therapy of periodontitis is underscored.