Bim-Júnior, Odair [UNESP]Gaglieri, Caroline [UNESP]Bedran-Russo, Ana K.Bueno-Silva, BrunoBannach, Gilbert [UNESP]Frem, Regina [UNESP]Ximenes, Valdecir Farias [UNESP]Lisboa-Filho, Paulo N. [UNESP]2020-12-122020-12-122020-08-10ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering, v. 6, n. 8, p. 4539-4550, 2020.2373-9878http://hdl.handle.net/11449/201027Plant-derived compounds incite applications virtually on every biomedical field due to the expedient antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties in conjunction with a natural character. Here, quercetin (QCT), a flavonoid with therapeutic potentials relevant to the oral environment, was encapsulated within metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to address the concept of on-demand release of phytochemicals at the biointerface. We verified the applicability of a microporous MOF (ZIF-8) as a controlled-release system for QCT, as well as investigated the incorporation of QCT@ZIF-8 microparticles into a dental adhesive resin for desirable therapeutic capabilities at the tooth-restoration interface. QCT was encapsulated within the frameworks through a water-based, one-step synthetic process. The resulting QCT@ZIF-8 microparticles were characterized with respect to chemical composition, crystal structure, thermal behavior, micromorphology, and release profile under acidic and physiological conditions. A model dental adhesive formulation was enriched with the bioactive microparticles; both the degree of conversion (DC) of methacrylic double bonds and the polymer thermal behavior were accounted for. The results confirm that crystalline QCT@ZIF-8 microparticles with attractive loading capacities, submicron sizes, high thermal stability and responsiveness to environmental pH change were successfully manufactured. The concentration of QCT@ZIF-8 in the resin system was a key factor to maintain an optimal DC plateau and rate of polymerization. Essentially, one-step encapsulation of QCT in biocompatible ZIF-8 matrices can be easily achieved, and QCT@ZIF-8 microparticles proved as smart platforms to carry bioactive compounds with potential use to prevent microbial and enzymatic degradation of hard tissues and extracellular matrix components.4539-4550engbioactive polymercontrolled releasedental adhesiveflavonoidMOFsArtigo10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c005642-s2.0-8509049842285341388134171610000-0003-1574-681X