In vivo bone regeneration by differently designed titanium membrane with or without surface treatment: a study in rat calvarial defects

• Main Authors: Yong-Seok Jang, So-Hee Moon, Thuy-Duong Thi Nguyen, Min-Ho Lee, Tae-Ju Oh, A-Lum Han, Tae-Sung Bae
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2019-02-01
• Series: Journal of Tissue Engineering
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/2041731419831466

The current objective was to evaluate six groups of titanium membranes in a rat calvarial defect model, regarding the surface treatment with or without calcium-phosphate coating and surface topography with no, small, or large holes. Critical size defects (Ф = 8 mm, n = 42) were surgically created in rat calvaria, and then were treated by one of the six groups. Biopsies were obtained at 4 weeks (n = 5 per group) for micro-computed tomography and histomorphometric analyses. Fluorochrome bone markers were injected in two rats each group at 1 (Alizarin red), 3 (Calcein green) and 5 weeks (Oxytetracyclin yellow), followed by histological examination at 7 weeks to assess bone regeneration dynamic. At 4 weeks, the highest bone volume was observed in no-hole groups independent of surface treatment ( p  < 0.05). Treated groups with no-hole and large-hole membranes showed increased bone mineral density than with respective non-treated groups ( p  < 0.05). Histology exhibited an intimate bone formation onto the treated membranes, whereas non-treated ones demonstrated interposition of connective tissue, which was confirmed through bone contact percentages. The results suggest that occlusive membranes showed more bone formation than other perforated ones, and calcium-phosphate treatment induces intimate bone formation toward the membrane.