Metronidazole and Ketoprofen-Loaded Mesoporous Magnesium Carbonate for Rapid Treatment of Acute Periodontitis In Vitro

[Image: see text] In the clinical pharmacological treatment of acute periodontitis, local periodontal administration is expected to be preferable to systemic administration. However, the action of the active medicine component is hindered and diminished by the limitation of drug solubility, which does not provide timely relief of the enormous pain being suffered by patients. This study aimed to develop a mesoporous magnesium carbonate (MMC) medicine loading system consisting of MMC, metronidazole (MET), and ketoprofen (KET), which was noted as MET-KET@MMC. A solvent evaporation process was utilized to load MET and KET in MMC. Scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen sorption, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray diffraction were performed on the MET-KET@MMC. The rapid drug release properties were also investigated through the drug release curve. The rapid antiseptic property against Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) and the rapid anti-inflammatory property (within 1 min) were analyzed in vitro. The cytotoxicity of MET-KET@MMC was tested in direct contact with human gingival cells and human oral keratinocytes. Crystallizations of MET and KET were completely suppressed in MMC. As compared to crystalline MET and KET, MMC induced higher apparent solubility and rapid drug release, resulting in 8.76 times and 3.43 times higher release percentages of the drugs, respectively. Over 70.11% of MET and 85.97% of KET were released from MMC within 1 min, resisting bacteria and reducing inflammation. MET-KET@MMC nanoparticles enhanced the solubility of drugs and possess rapid antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. The MET-KET@MMC is a promising candidate for the pharmacotherapy of acute periodontitis with drugs, highlighting a significant clinical potential of MMC-based immediate drug release systems.