科學家們發(fā)明了一種神奇的方法，可以讓牙釉質再生

科學家們發(fā)明了一種神奇的方法，可以讓牙釉質再生

It's the hardest substance in the human body, and it's irreplaceable. Around the world, billions are affected by tooth decay stemming from the loss of tooth enamel, but new research offers fresh hope to end this global problem.

它是人體中最堅硬的物質，是不可替代的。全世界有數(shù)十億人受到牙釉質缺失導致的蛀牙的影響，但新的研究為解決這一全球性問題帶來了新的希望。

Scientists in China have developed a liquid solution that can effectively grow back the external surface of damaged tooth enamel, using a material that mimics the natural mineralisation process of our teeth's protective outer layer.

中國科學家開發(fā)出一種液體溶液，可以有效地將受損牙釉質的外表面生長回去，這種液體溶液使用的材料模仿了我們牙齒保護外層的自然礦化過程。

Tooth enamel is formed in a biomineralisation process whereby cells called ameloblasts secrete proteins that eventually harden into that tough external coating of our teeth.

牙釉質是在生物礦化過程中形成的，在這個過程中，被稱為成釉細胞的細胞分泌蛋白質，最終硬化成我們牙齒堅硬的外層。

The problem is that ameloblasts are only present during tooth development, meaning our mature teeth have virtually no natural ability to self-repair after they've formed.

問題是成釉細胞只存在于牙齒發(fā)育過程中，這意味著我們成熟的牙齒在形成后實際上沒有自我修復的能力。

Scientists have tried a range of approaches to artificially coax enamel re-mineralisation, but according to researchers from Zhejiang University, previous attempts have mostly failed, because the complex, crystalline structure of enamel has never been successfully replicated in the lab.

科學家們嘗試了一系列的人工誘導琺瑯質再礦化的方法，但據(jù)浙江大學的研究人員稱，此前的嘗試大多失敗，因為琺瑯質復雜的晶體結構從未在實驗室成功復制。

At least, not before now, the team suggests in a new paper.

研究小組在一篇新論文中建議，至少在此之前不會。

"We herein reveal that a rationally designed material composed of calcium phosphate ion clusters can be used to produce a precursor layer to induce the epitaxial crystal growth of enamel apatite, which mimics the biomineralisation crystalline-amorphous frontier of hard tissue development in nature," the researchers, co-led by biomimetics and materials scientist Zhaoming Liu, write in their study.

“我們在此揭示，合理設計的磷酸鈣離子團簇材料可用于制備前驅體層，誘導釉質磷灰石的外延晶體生長，模擬自然界硬組織發(fā)育的生物礦化結晶-非晶態(tài)前沿。”由仿生學和材料科學家劉兆明共同領導的研究人員在他們的研究報告中寫道。

The achievement, which the team is billing as a world-first, required a new kind of calcium phosphate ion clusters (CPICs), measuring just 1.5 nanometres in diameter (about one billionth of a metre).

這一成就，被該團隊譽為世界第一，需要一種新的磷酸鈣離子簇(CPICs)，直徑只有1.5納米(約十億分之一米)。

These tiny particles were then stabilised in an ethanol solution with a chemical called triethylamine, which prevents them from clumping together.

然后，這些微小的顆粒用一種叫做三乙胺的化學物質在乙醇溶液中穩(wěn)定下來，防止它們聚集在一起。

When their gel-like material was applied to human teeth donated by patients, the ultra-small clusters successfully fused to the fish-scale-like structure of native enamel, replicating the coating of the tooth with an indistinguishable and equally hard repair layer that developed to a thickness of up to 2.8 micrometres within 48 hours.

當它們的凝膠狀材料應用于患者捐贈的牙齒時，超小簇成功地融合到天然牙釉質的魚鱗狀結構，復制牙齒的涂層，具有難以區(qū)分和同樣硬的修復層，其厚度達到在48小時達到2.8微米。

While that's hundreds of times thinner than a full layer of natural tooth enamel, the team thinks that repeated coatings with their CPIC solution could effectively thicken the artificial enamel, and that further refinements to the material could augment its thickness.

雖然這比一層完整的天然牙釉質要薄上數(shù)百倍，但研究小組認為，用CPIC溶液反復涂覆可以有效地增厚人工牙釉質，對材料的進一步改進可以增加其厚度。

"Our newly regenerated enamel has the same structure and similar mechanical properties as native enamel," Liu told Sky News.

“我們新再生的牙釉質與天然牙釉質具有相同的結構和相似的機械性能。”劉告訴天空新聞。

"We hope to realise tooth enamel regrowth without using fillings which contain totally different materials and we hope, if all goes smoothly, to start trials in people within one to two years."

“我們希望在不使用含有完全不同材料的填充物的情況下實現(xiàn)牙釉質的再生，如果一切順利的話，我們希望在一到兩年內對人體進行試驗。”

To meet that timeframe, the team will need to demonstrate that their material is safe – especially since there are concerns about the toxicity of triethylamine, which is used as the stabilising compound.

為了滿足這個時間框架，研究小組需要證明他們的材料是安全的，特別是考慮到三乙胺作為穩(wěn)定劑的毒性。

The researchers say the chemical evaporates in ethanol during the process, so should not pose a risk, and are currently testing the substance in mice, in the lead-up to hoped-for clinical trials.

研究人員表示，在這一過程中，這種化學物質會在乙醇中蒸發(fā)，因此不應該構成風險。目前，他們正在小鼠身上測試這種物質，以期進行預期的臨床試驗。

In the meantime, experts say it could be several years before this material finds its way into clinical use at your local dentist – provided future tests indicate it's both safe and effective.

與此同時，專家表示，如果未來的測試表明這種材料既安全又有效，那么這種材料要在當?shù)匮泪t(yī)那里得到臨床應用可能還需要幾年的時間。

Until such time, conventional advice on dental health remains as sound as ever.

在此之前，關于牙齒健康的傳統(tǒng)建議和以往一樣可靠。

"Prevention is the best approach," biomedical researcher Chen Haifeng from Peking University, who wasn't part of the study, told the South China Morning Post.

“預防是最好的方法。”來自北京大學的生物醫(yī)學研究員陳海峰(音譯)告訴《南華早報》，他沒有參與這項研究。

"We should never wait until the damage is done. Our teeth are a miracle of nature. Artificial replacement will never do the job as well."

“我們永遠不要等到損害已經造成。我們的牙齒是大自然的奇跡。人工替代永遠也做不到這一點。”

The findings are reported in Science Advances.

研究結果發(fā)表在《科學進展》雜志上。