This study examined the bone regeneration potential of a novel hybrid membrane consisting of collagen and nano-bioactive glass (nBG) incorporating basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) for use in guided bone regeneration. nBG was added to a reconstitution of collagen at a concentration of 30%, and the hybrid was formulated into a thin membrane. FGF2 (50 microg/ml) was adsorbed to the hybrid membrane. This level of FGF2 was found to be the optimal concentration to stimulate osteoblastic differentiation in vitro. Three membrane groups, including pure collagen, collagen-nBG hybrid and its combination with FGF2 were implanted within a rat calvarium defect (phi = 5 mm) for a period of 3 weeks. Histomorphometric analysis was carried out to evaluate the bone regeneration within the defect. The results showed that the defect in the collagen-nBG-FGF2 membrane was recovered almost completely, while partial recovery was observed in the other membrane groups (collagen and collagen-BG). However, there was little defect recovery in the blank control. The new bone formation was as high as approximately 60, approximately 45, and approximately 30% of the defect treated with the collagen-nBG-FGF2, collagen-BG, and collagen, respectively, whilst only 4% of new bone was observed in the blank control. Overall, the nBG was shown to stimulate bone formation of the collagen membrane, and FGF2 synergistically accelerated the bone regeneration within a rat calvarium defect.
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