ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:At present, col agen as a material in periodontal tissue engineering has some disadvantages such as poor mechanical strength and rapid degradation speed. Col agen combined with chitosan can improve above-mentioned problems. OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the biocompatibility of a novel chitosan-col agen scaffold in vitro. METHODS:Cytotoxicity of the extract of chitosan-col agen scaffold in different concentrations (100%, 75%, 50%, 25%) was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Human periodontal ligament cel s at 4-6 passages were cocultured with the chitosan-col agen scaffold. Cel growth on the scaffold was observed. Changes in alkaline phosphatase activity were detected in periodontal ligament cel s before and after coculture. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The novel chitosan-col agen scaffold was made up of double layers with one dense layer and another loose layer. The grade of the cytotoxicity of the scaffold was from 0 to 1. Scanning electron microscope and histological observation demonstrated that cel s grew wel on the chitosan-col agen scaffold;the dense layer could prevent cel s to migrate into the scaffold. There were no significant differences in alkaline phosphatase activity in human periodontal ligament cel s before and 24 hours after combined culture (P>0.05). Alkaline phosphatase activity in human periodontal ligament cel s was greatly higher at 48 and 72 hours after combined culture compared with that before culture (P<0.05). Above results indicated that the novel chitosan-col agen scaffold has a good biocompatibility and barrier function, and potential as a scaffold for periodontal tissue engineering.