ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Bioabsorbable biomaterials are of crucial importance in tissue engineering applications, and various factors affect their degradation. OBJECTIVE: To compare the degradation characteristics of concentrated growth factor (CGF) clot and CGF membrane in simulated body fluid (SBF) and simulated saliva fluid (SSF). METHODS: Fifteen volunteers were selected, and human blood samples were collected for the preparation of CGF clot or CGF membrane. All specimens from each subject were averagely divided into four groups: group A, CGF clot in SBF; group B, CGF clot in SSF; group C, CGF membrane in SBF; group D, CGF membrane in SSF. The specimens were subjected to the immersion test. The average daily rate of degradation of each group was calculated after the samples were thoroughly degraded, and weight loss ratio per unit time was also determined. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) The mean degradation time in groups A-D were (14.0±0.7), (9.7±0.9), (9.9±1.2) and (7.2±0.7) days, respectively. (2) By comparing CGF membrane with CGF clot in the same simulated fluid, the average daily degradation rate of CGF clot (groups A, B) was statistically significantly lower than counterparts of CGF membrane (groups C, D) (P < 0.05). By comparison between SBF and SSF, the average daily degradation rate in the SBF (groups A, B) was significantly lower than counterparts in the SSF (groups C, D) (P <0.05). Overall, the degradation rate of CGF membrane is higher than that of CGF clot under the same degradation environment; for CGF membrane or CGF clot, the degradation rate in SSF is higher than that in SBF.