Dr Alpdogan Kantarci “SPMs in Oral Inflammation & Periodontal Regeneration: Resolution Biology, Host Modulation & Systemic Links”
Episode notes
Dr Alpdogan Kantarci
Episode 12 Dr. Alpdogan Kantarci
“SPMs in Oral Inflammation & Periodontal Regeneration: Resolution Biology, Host Modulation & Systemic Links”
In this episode we welcome Professor Dr. Alpdogan Kantarci, a leading voice in inflammation resolution biology and one of the foremost experts exploring how Specialized Pro-resolving Mediators actively resolve inflammation in the oral mucosa and beyond.
We discuss his career path from Istanbul University to postdoctoral and specialty training at Boston University, his long-standing work at the Forsyth Institute and Harvard, and his current role as Erwin M. Schaffer Chair and Department Chair at the University of Minnesota. The conversation covers foundational research on SPMs (especially Resolvin E1 and Maresin-1) in periodontitis, tissue and bone protection, reversal of cellular senescence, restoration of immune homeostasis, microbiome rebalancing, pro-resolving nanomedicines, and the translational shift toward host-modulation therapies.
Key themes include the unique clinical-translational perspective he brings as both periodontist and researcher, the power of SPMs to regenerate rather than merely suppress damage, challenges and opportunities in moving resolution pharmacology into everyday dentistry, and the growing links between oral inflammation and systemic conditions such as neurodegenerative disease.
Key Topics
• Career journey from Istanbul to Boston, Forsyth, Harvard, and the University of Minnesota
• What SPMs are and how RvE1 & MaR1 protect against local tissue and bone destruction
• Reversing senescence-related dysfunction in periodontal ligament cells and stem cells
• Failed resolution, T-cell/Th17 imbalance, and restoring homeostasis without immunosuppression
• Breaking the inflammatory–dysbiosis vicious cycle and reshaping the oral microbiome
• Pioneering pro-resolving nanomedicines with benzo-lipoxin A4 for hard- and soft-tissue regeneration
• Preclinical evidence of bone regeneration and restored periodontal ligament stem-cell function
• Why host-modulation with nanotechnology represents the future of clinical dentistry
• Oral–systemic connections, including links to neurodegenerative disease
• Translational outlook for resolution-based therapies in periodontology