Evaluation of scaffold materials for tooth tissue engineering

Abstract

Recently, the possibility of tooth tissue engineering has been reported. Although there are a number of available materials, information about scaffolds for tooth tissue engineering is still limited. To improve the manageability of tooth tissue engineering, the effect of scaffolds on in vivo tooth regeneration was evaluated. Collagen and fibrin were selected for this study based on the biocompatibility to dental papilla-derived cells and the results were compared with those of polyglycolic acid (PGA) fiber and beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) porous block, which are commonly used for tooth, dentin and bone tissue engineering. Isolated porcine tooth germ-derived cells were seeded onto one of those scaffolds and transplanted to the back of nude mice. Tooth bud-like structures were observed more frequently in collagen and fibrin gels than on PGA or beta-TCP, while the amount of hard tissue formation was less. The results showed that collagen and fibrin gel support the initial regeneration process of tooth buds possibly due to their ability to support the growth of epithelial and mesenchymal cells. On the other hand, maturation of tooth buds was difficult in fibrin and collagen gels, which may require other factors.

Tissue Engineering for Tissue and Organ Regeneration

“…Considering the initial stages of tooth formation, similar conclusions were drawn when comparing collagen or fibrin gels with PGA or ß-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP) (Ohara et al, 2010). …”

“…Comparing the potentialities of different scaffolds, possible inhibitory effects of collagen on hard tissue formation have been reported (Ohara et al, 2010). However, other studies ended up with tooth formation (Arany et al, 2009;Nakao et al, 2007).…”

“…Although PGA is satisfactory to grow cells in vitro, this polymer can induce inflammatory reactions after implantation in immunocompetent hosts (Ceonzo et al, 2006;Cortiella et al, 2006). Different groups have used PGA for tooth engineering (Duailibi et al, 2004(Duailibi et al, , 2008Iwatsuki et al, 2006;Ohara et al, 2010), but the risk of inflammation was only discussed by Duailibi et al (2008). Concerning biodegradation, PGA fiber meshes were still present after 10 days of implantation (Iwatsuki et al, 2006).…”

“…Furthermore, it is important to prevent any risk of delayed immune response, which may occur with collagen (Zippel et al, 2008) or PLGA scaffolds (Tavassol et al, 2010). As a broad question, related to tissue engineering and regeneration in general, the possible negative consequences of using collagen, PGA and other components to embed cells are investigated (Marx et al, 2008;Ohara et al, 2010;Pihlajamäki et al, 2010). Scaffolds made of PGA fibers were used to tooth bud cells from 6 month old miniature pig third molars (Ohara et al, 2010).…”

Biodegradable polymers for dental tissue engineering and regeneration

“…Examples are the degradable suture DEXON ® [83], the internal bone pin Biofix ® [84], many published works in which PGA is used as a scaffold for bone [85][86][87], cartilage [88,89], tendon [90], vaginal [91], intestinal [92], lymphatic [93], and spinal [94] regeneration. In dentistry, Ohara et al evaluated the in vivo regeneration of porcine tooth germ-derived cells implanted in polyglycolic acid fiber and β-tricalcium phosphate porous block scaffolds for the formation of tooth bud-like structures [95]. Similarly, Bäumchen et al used PGA fleeces to counteract the postoperative apical growth of epithelium on teeth.…”