ABSTRACT
Abstract This study characterized the morphological aspects of marine collagen - spongin (SPG) extract from marine sponges, as well as, evaluating its in vitro and in vivo biological performance. Aplysina fulva marine sponge was used for the SPG extraction. It was investigated the physicochemical and morphological properties of SPG by using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and compared to PMMA and bovine collagen. Additionally, the SPG cytotoxicity and its influence on cell proliferation, through in vitro tests. Moreover, the in vivo biological response was investigated using an experimental model of tibial bone defect. The results demonstrated that SPG presented an irregular granular aspect, with a composition of OH, C=O, NH, CN and an amorphous profile. Also, in vitro viability results for the L929 and MC3T3 cell lines cultured with SPG extracts demonstrated normal growth in comparison to controls, except for MC3T3 viability at day 3. For in vivo analysis, using tibial bone defects in rats, SPG treated animals presented an increased rate of material resorption and higher granulation and bone formation deposition in the region of the defect, mainly after 45 days. As a conclusion, SPG was successfully extracted. The in vitro and in vivo studies pointed out that SPG samples produced an increase in L929 and MC3T3 viability and improved the performance in tibial bone defects. It can be concluded that SPG can be used as a bone graft for bone regeneration.
ABSTRACT
Abstract Research on biomaterials of natural origin has gained prominence in the literature. Above all, marine sponges, due to their architecture and structural components, present a promising potential for the engineering of bone tissue. In vitro studies demonstrate that a biosilica of marine sponges has osteogenic potential. However, in vivo works are needed to elucidate the interaction of biosilica (BS) and bone tissue. The objective of the study was to evaluate the morphological and chemical characteristics of BS compared to Bioglass (BG) by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray dispersive energy (EDX) spectroscopy. In addition, to evaluate the biological effects of BS, through an experimental model of tibial bone defect using histopathological, histomorphometric, immunohistochemical (IHC) and mechanical tests. SEM and EDX demonstrated the successful extraction of BS. Histopathological analysis demonstrated that Control Group (GC) had greater formation of newly formed bone tissue compared to BG and BS, yet BG bone neoformation was greater than BS. However, BS showed material degradation and granulation tissue formation, with absence of inflammatory process and formation of fibrotic capsule. The results of histomorphometry corroborate with those of histopathology, where it is worth emphasizing the positive influence of BS in osteoblastic activity. IHQ demonstrated positive VEGF and TGF-β immunoexpression for GC, BS and BG. In the mechanical test no significant differences were found. The present results demonstrate the potential of BS in bone repair, further studies are needed other forms of presentation of BS are needed.