TY - JOUR A1 - Mai, Tobias A1 - Rakhmatullina, Ekaterina A1 - Bleek, Katrin A1 - Boye, Susanne A1 - Yuan, Jiayin A1 - Voelkel, Antje A1 - Graewert, Marlies A1 - Cheaib, Zeinab A1 - Eick, Sigrun A1 - Günter, Christina A1 - Lederer, Albena A1 - Lussi, Adrian A1 - Taubert, Andreas T1 - Poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(3-sulfopropyl methacrylate) block copolymers for calcium phosphate mineralization and biofilm inhibition JF - Biomacromolecules : an interdisciplinary journal focused at the interface of polymer science and the biological sciences N2 - Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) has long been used as an additive in toothpaste, partly because it reduces biofilm formation on teeth. It does not, however, reduce the formation of dental calculus or support the remineralization of dental enamel or dentine. The present article describes the synthesis of new block copolymers on the basis of PEO and poly(3-sulfopropyl methacrylate) blocks using atom transfer radical polymerization. The polymers have very large molecular weights (over 10(6) g/mol) and are highly water-soluble. They delay the precipitation of calcium phosphate from aqueous solution but, upon precipitation, lead to relatively monodisperse hydroxyapatite (HAP) spheres. Moreover, the polymers inhibit the bacterial colonization of human enamel by Streptococcus gordonii, a pioneer bacterium in oral biofilm formation, in vitro. The formation of well-defined HAP spheres suggests that a polymer-induced liquid precursor phase could be involved in the precipitation process. Moreover, the inhibition of bacterial adhesion suggests that the polymers could be utilized in caries prevention. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/bm500888q SN - 1525-7797 SN - 1526-4602 VL - 15 IS - 11 SP - 3901 EP - 3914 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER -