Comparative study of in vivo bone regeneration using chitosan/dicarboxylic acid scaffold implanted with human periodontal ligament cells

Abstract

After tooth loss, a consequent atrophy of the alveolar process always takes place and adversely affect the reconstruction process especially by dental implant. A novel chitosan/dicarboxylic acid scaffold (CS/DA scaffold) has been developed and proven to be an excellent candidate material in bone tissue engineering. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a CS/DA scaffold with and without seeded primary human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs) in mouse calvarial defect model. Eighteen mice were divided into 3 groups of 6 each. Four-millimeter calvarial defects were created on both side of parietal bone and implanted with either CS/DA scaffold or CS/DA scaffold with hPDLCs. The empty bony defects were kept as control. New bone formation was assessed using microcomputed tomography and histological analyses 6 and 12 weeks after surgery. Results showed that In vivo bone regeneration at 6 and 12 weeks was significantly enhanced by CS/DA scaffold alone and CS/DA scaffold implanted with hPDLCs (P <0.05). Histological staining confirmed these findings and impressive new bone formation was observed in CS/DA scaffold and CS/DA scaffold with hPDLCs compared with control.

Conclusion: Our study proposes CS/DA scaffold as a novel bone regenerative material with good osteoinductive/osteoconductive properties.