A novel tissue engineering concept targeting the regeneration of periodontal defects

INTRODUCTION

Periodontal disease is highly prevalent in humans and dogs. Tissue Engineering (TE) strategies is an alternative for the therapies which fail to regenerate the periodontium.

Our goal was to develop a double layer tissue-engineered scaffold (DLS) based on starch+poly-caprolactone (SPCL) enriched with adipose stem cells (ASCs) for periodontal regeneration.

EXPERIMENTAL

The DLS was obtained by combining a SPCL solvent casting membrane and a wet-spun fibre mesh (WS) without (SPCL) and with (SPCL-Si) osteoconductive silanol groups. The materials were characterized by Fourier Transmission Infra-red (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mechanical and degradation tests.

Canine ASCs were isolated from dog’s adipose tissue and characterized in terms of stemness (gene expression of CD73, CD90 and CD105) and osteogenic potential (COLIA1, RUNX2 and Osteocalcin). These cells were seeded/cultured onto the scaffolds and then characterized by MTS, DNA quantification, SEM, real time RT-PCR and ALP quantification.

Finally, DLS were assessed in a mandibular rodent model and compared to collagen commercial membranes. After 8 weeks, new bone formation was quantified in the explants (Donath technique).

RESULTS

The results confirmed the WS functionalization with silanol groups. DLS exhibited adequate tensile strength and degradation behaviour and provided a good support for ASCs adhesion and proliferation. SPCL-Si-WS revealed higher expression of osteogenic markers.

Histomorphometry revealed that SPCL-Si-DLS induced higher bone formation compared to SPCL-DLS and collagen.

CONCLUSION

The functionalized DLS in combination with canine ASCs revealed good potential to be used in of bone and periodontium TE strategies.