Cellular compatibility of a gamma-irradiated modified siloxane-poly(lactic acid)-calcium carbonate hybrid membrane for guided bone regeneration

A bi-layered silicon-releasable membrane consisting of a siloxane-poly(lactic acid) (PLA)-vaterite hybrid material (Si-PVH) microfiber mesh and a PLA microfiber mesh has been developed by an electrospinning method for guided bone regeneration (GBR) application. The bi-layered membrane was modified to a three-laminar structure by sandwiching an additional PLA microfiber mesh between the Si-PVH and PLA microfiber meshes (Si-PVH/PLA membrane). In this study, the influence of gamma irradiation, used for sterilization, on biological properties of the Si-PVH/PLA membrane was evaluated with osteoblasts and fibroblasts. After gamma irradiation, while the average molecular weight of the Si-PVH/PLA membrane decreased, the Si-PVH/PLA membrane promoted cell proliferation and differentiation (alkaline phosphatase activity and calcification) of osteoblasts, compared with the poly(lactide-co-glycolide) membrane. These results suggest that the gamma-irradiated Si-PVH/PLA membrane is biocompatible with both fibroblasts and osteoblasts, and may have an application for GBR.