The Effect of a Novel Titanium Barrier Membrane on Cell Growth and Differentiation

 Objective: Currently, major dental diseases include caries and periodontal disease. Periodontal disease affects about 80% of adults, and is the biggest factor for tooth loss in adults aged≥40 years. In order to recover lost tissues, it is necessary to obtain space to reconstruct healthy tissues, which has been performed by a barrier membrane technique. The barrier membrane technique is a therapy that allows the periodontium and the alveolar bone to regenerate in the space prepared with a membrane. This barrier membrane requires sufficient strength and biocompatibility for making the space, but a conventional polymer membrane is 200μm thick and has the drawbacks of being vulnerable and tending to cause bacterial infections. Thus, we conceived the development of a novel titanium barrier membrane that not only actively acts on cells to induce proliferation and differentiation but also reduces the risk of bacterial infections; we then compared the capacity to induce proliferation and differentiation of cultured cells of this membrane with that of a conventional membrane.<br> Materials and Methods: An osteoblast-like cell line (MC3T3-E1) and HPL were sub-cultured for 3 to 5 passages for use in the experiment. Titanium with only 20μm through holes was used as a novel titanium barrier membrane; FRIOS was used as a reference. In the present study, cells were seeded on each sample to observe osteopontin (OPN) positive cells by fluorescent staining, measurement of cell proliferation, and observation with a scanning electron microscope (SEM).<br> Results: By fluorescent staining, many OPN antibody-positive cells were observed in the novel titanium barrier membrane. Also, cell proliferation was significantly enhanced in the novel titanium barrier membrane compared with FRIOS. In SEM observation of the novel titanium barrier membrane, images showing that cells were gathered and incorporated into the through holes were observed in samples cultured for 1 week.<br> Conclusions: In the novel titanium barrier membrane with through-holes at 50-μm intervals that was used in this study, expression of osteopontin, which is an index of cell differentiation, was observed. Based on the cell proliferation capacity, the novel titanium barrier membrane was considered to be superior to conventional FRIOS in terms of the capacity to induce cell proliferation and differentiation. Further investigation of the in vivo effect and strength of the novel titanium barrier membrane will be needed.