Dental News - Silver nanoparticle-coated membrane may enhance dental implant treatment

Dental Tribune International

Tue. 13. November 2018

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CRAWLEY, Australia: Alveolar bone loss is a common problem for patients seeking dental implant placement. A barrier between the bone substitute and gingiva that can prevent fibrous tissue ingrowth and bacterial infection, as well as induce bone formation, is a key factor in improving the success of alveolar ridge reconstruction. Researchers at the University of Western Australia have improved a bioactive collagen barrier material for guided bone regeneration, giving it antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

In their study, the researchers used a CelGro collagen membrane (Orthocell), which is approved for guided bone regeneration in dentistry, and coated it with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using two low-temperature fabrication methods: sonication and sputtering.

Scanning electron microscopy revealed that sonication could accurately deposit AgNPs on the membrane, with higher AgNP concentrations depositing more nanoparticles on the collagen fibres. Sputtering, however, was difficult to control and led to large uneven deposition of AgNPs.

To test the membrane’s antibacterial properties, the researchers prepared AgNP-coated collagen membranes with different nanoparticle concentrations and placed them on bacterial inoculation plates. After four days, samples fabricated via either sonication or sputtering exhibited an excellent antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Next, the team seeded mesenchymal stem cells, which can differentiate into a variety of cell types, including bone cells, on AgNP-coated collagen membranes. After 24 hours in culture, they observed an AgNP dose-dependent decline in cell numbers on sonication-coated samples; however, proliferation rates after day one were similar. According to the researchers, sputter-coated collagen severely inhibited cell growth—suggesting that this technique is not suitable for coating collagen membranes for cell proliferation.

To assess the anti-inflammatory effects of the AgNP coating, the researchers examined the expression of two inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), in macrophages seeded on collagen membranes. Their findings demonstrated the anti-inflammatory properties of the coated membranes.

Finally, the researchers examined the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells seeded on AgNP-coated collagen membranes. Expression of early osteogenic markers was far higher in cells cultured on AgNP-coated membranes than on uncoated membranes initially; however, there was no significant difference later in culturing.

The optimised AgNP-coated collagen membrane showed the ability to guide bone regeneration, as well as exhibit antibacterial and anti-inflammatory capacity, with limited cellular toxicity. The researchers emphasised the potential application of such membranes in dental surgery, particularly for alveolar bone augmentation and bone graft integration.

The study, titled “Fabrication of a silver nanoparticle-coated collagen membrane with anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory activities for guided bone regeneration”, was published in the November 2018 issue of Biomedical Materials.

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