H2S, as a typical metabolite of periodontal pathogens, exhibits a clear positive correlation with the occurrence and development of periodontitis. H2S at physiological concentrations can regulate many biological processes. However, excess H2S in the periodontal pocket can trigger secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, cause oxidative stress, and result in mitochondrial damage and cell death in human gingival fibroblasts, exacerbating periodontitis development and periodontal tissue destruction. Worse, H2S facilitates bacteria survival and proliferation by maintaining bacterial redox balance and enhancing antibiotic resistance. Unfortunately, scavenging H2S during periodontitis treatment is usually ignored. Herein, a kind of hyaluronic acid methacryloyl/ZnO (HMZ) composite hydrogel with an H2S-scavenging ability was prepared to enhance periodontitis treatment. The HMZ hydrogel possessed good injectability and cytocompatibility and was able to remove H2S by a reaction with ZnO. As a result, the HMZ hydrogel was able to increase cell viability from 13% to 120% for human gingival fibroblasts and 22% to 94% for human periodontal ligament fibroblasts at 48 h, restore mitochondrial homeostasis, and alleviate cGAS-STING signaling pathway–mediated inflammation. Meanwhile, the HMZ hydrogel showed satisfactory antibacterial properties and efficiency of plaque biofilm removal. The in vivo results further confirmed that HMZ hydrogel decreased the concentration of H2S within the periodontal pocket from 0.7 to 0.8 mM to the normal level (0.3 to 0.4 mM), killed the bacteria in the periodontal tissues, inhibited osteoclast activity, relieved excess inflammation, and decreased the vertical distance between the cementoenamel junction and the alveolar bone crest from 1,175 µm to 798 µm on the 7th day and from 1,075 µm to 693 µm on the 14th day, achieving efficient periodontal bone regeneration. In brief, an H2S scavenging-based promising strategy was developed to enhance the therapeutic efficiency of periodontitis.

中文翻译：

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H2S 清除水凝胶减轻线粒体损伤以控制牙周炎


H2S 作为牙周病原菌的典型代谢产物，与牙周炎的发生和发展呈明显的正相关。生理浓度的 H2S 可以调节许多生物过程。然而，牙周袋中过量的 H2S 会触发促炎细胞因子的分泌，引起氧化应激，并导致人牙龈成纤维细胞的线粒体损伤和细胞死亡，加剧牙周炎的发展和牙周组织破坏。更糟糕的是，H2S 通过维持细菌氧化还原平衡和增强抗生素耐药性来促进细菌的生存和增殖。不幸的是，在牙周炎治疗期间清除 H2S 通常被忽视。在此，制备了一种具有 H2S 清除能力的透明质酸甲基丙烯酰/ZnO （HMZ） 复合水凝胶，以增强牙周炎的治疗。HMZ 水凝胶具有良好的注射性和细胞相容性，能够通过与 ZnO 反应去除 H2S。结果，HMZ 水凝胶能够在 48 小时时将人牙龈成纤维细胞的细胞活力从 13% 提高到 120%，将人牙周膜成纤维细胞的细胞活力从 22% 提高到 94%，恢复线粒体稳态，并减轻 cGAS-STING 信号通路介导的炎症。同时，HMZ 水凝胶表现出令人满意的抗菌性能和斑块生物膜去除效率。体内结果进一步证实，HMZ 水凝胶将牙周袋内 H2S 的浓度从 0.7 至 0.8 mM 降低到正常水平（0.3 至 0.4 mM），杀死牙周组织中的细菌，抑制破骨细胞活性，缓解过度炎症，并将牙骨质釉质交界处与牙槽骨嵴之间的垂直距离从第 7 天的 1,175 μm 减少到 798 μm，第 14 天从 1,075 μm 减少到 693 μm，实现高效的牙周骨再生。简而言之，开发了一种基于 H2S 清除的有前途的策略来提高牙周炎的治疗效果。