ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to verify the feasibility of using silk fibroin (SF) as a potential membrane for guided bone regeneration (GBR). METHODS: Various cellular responses (i.e., cell attachment, viability, and proliferation) of osteoblast-like MG63 cells cultured on an SF membrane were quantified. After culturing on an SF membrane for 1, 5, and 7 days, the attachment and surface morphology of MG63 cells were examined by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cell viability was determined using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and cell proliferation was quantified using 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) fluorescence staining. RESULTS: Optical microscopy revealed that MG63 cells cultured on the SF membrane proliferated over the 7-day observation period. The viability of cells cultured on SF membranes (SF group) and on control surfaces (control group) increased over time (P 0.05). In contrast, cell proliferation was significantly higher in the SF membrane group than in the control group at 7 days (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that silk fibroin is a biocompatible material that could be used as a suitable alternative barrier membrane for GBR.