A Novel Injectable Piezoelectric Hydrogel for Periodontal Disease Treatment

This study developed an injectable, light-curable piezoelectric hydrogel (PiezoGEL) by incorporating silanized barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanoparticles into gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) to enable drug-free antibacterial activity and periodontal bone regeneration under mechanical stimulation. PiezoGEL maintained GelMA-like rheology/injectability, generated measurable open-circuit voltage under cyclic compression, and exhibited ~40% mass loss over 14 days in PBS. In vitro, cyclically stimulated PiezoGEL significantly reduced Porphyromonas gingivalis biofilm biomass and metabolism and produced a 2–3 log reduction in viable cells, linked to reduced adhesion/biofilm genes (porP,fimA) and increased oxidative stress response (oxyR). With BMSCs, PiezoGEL improved viability and promoted osteogenic differentiation (RUNX2,COL1A1,ALP) and mineralization, with loading-dependent effects. In a ligature-induced murine periodontitis model, PiezoGEL reduced inflammation, improved probing pocket depth, and increased alveolar bone regeneration versus controls.