2023-10-10 15:22:25
A team led by researchers from the Andalusian Institute of Earth Sciences (IACT), a center of the CSIC and the University of Granada, has developed a biomaterial based on a membrane with a mineralized external face, which induces the formation of new bone cellsand an unmineralized internal face, which acts as a barrier against unwanted cellular invasion from the surrounding gingival tissue towards the bone formation area.
The results have been published in the journal Biomaterials Advances and both the resulting material and its applications have been protected by patent in Spain, at the same time that the process for its international protection has been initiated.
The egg membrane is made up of collagen fibers and covered with egg white proteins, shell matrix proteins and carbohydrates such as glycosaminoglycans and hyaluronic acid.
The egg membrane is a material biopolimérico singular formed by collagen fibers (type I, V and
Furthermore, on its external side, the membrane has structures called nipples, composed of proteoglycans, molecules that act as nucleation centers (change of state by which solid bodies are formed from a previous liquid phase) of calcium carbonate, the mineral component of the shell.
The dual role of the membrane
The composition and function of the external and internal faces of the membrane are different. While the external face promotes calcium carbonate nucleation and therefore the formation of the shell; The internal one, which is in contact with the yolk and the white, inhibits the formation of the mineral. Birds take advantage of this double role of the membrane to form the resistant eggshell material: a shell of calcium carbonate that protects the embryo from external aggressions and, at the same time, allows it to hatch easily from within.
This duality has proven to be a promising characteristic, exploited in this work, for the development of a biohybrid material with future applications in guided bone regeneration, used in dentistry to promote the regeneration of mandibular bone, and pulp capping.
The biomaterial consists of a chicken egg shell membrane, covered on its external side by calcium phosphate nanocrystals.
The new biomaterial consists of a chicken egg shell membrane, covered on its external side by calcium phosphate nanocrystals (apatite phase), preserving its internal side without mineralization. Calcium phosphates are a group of minerals that contain calcium and phosphate ions in its compositionand crystallize in different phases, including the apatite phase, which is the main mineral component of our bones and teeth.
“We have used a technique called ‘vapor diffusion crystallization’, which pursues the precipitation of apatite nanocrystals with characteristics similar to the apatite of the bone that is intended to be regenerated. The biomaterial obtained is therefore bifunctional, osteoinductive on the external side and barrier against cell invasion on the internal side, and can replace the current materials used in guided bone regeneration, that is, the sum of a membrane plus a bone graft,” indicates Jaime Gomez Moralesfrom the IACT Crystallographic Studies Laboratory and principal investigator of the study.
“The membrane on its external side is, therefore, similar to mineralized tissues and on its internal side similar to soft tissues and, in addition, it is resorbable,” he adds.
In vitro tests have demonstrated biocompatibility and the ability to stimulate the growth and development of bone-forming cells.
The jobs in vitro have confirmed that apatite-coated egg membrane material has improved mechanical properties regarding the membrane itself, biocompatibility and ability to stimulate the growth and development of bone-forming cells, including the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (important for manufacturing and repairing bone tissue).
These properties are key to determining the clinical application potential of the material obtained in this study and are guarantors to advance its research. In this way, the material can also be used for the regeneration of injuries to other bones in the body.
Traumatology and regenerative dentistry
“In the case of pulp capping, the membrane biomaterial covers an accidental exposure of the dental pulp, with the aim of preserving the vitality of the tooth. Currently, the materials used for pulp capping are composed of calcium hydroxide, calcium silicates and composite resins, presenting limitations in their clinical application due to their compositional incompatibility with dental tissues,” explains Gómez Morales.
The material contains calcium phosphates (apatite) which are the same components present in dental tissues, such as dentin or enamel.
According to the researcher, the new material, however, “contains calcium phosphates (apatite) which are the same components present in dental tissues, such as dentin or enamel. This makes it a promising and compatible option for rpulpal generation”.
The team is working on improving the properties of the biomaterial for application in medical fields such as traumatology and regenerative dentistry.”
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