A collagen-silica xerogel hybrid membrane was fabricated by a sol-gel process for guided bone regeneration (GBR). The silica xerogel synthesized by the sol-gel method was distributed uniformly within the collagen matrix in the form of nanoparticles. The hybridization of the silica xerogel with collagen improved the biological properties of the membrane significantly. Preosteoblast cells were observed to adhere well and grow much more actively on the hybrid membrane than on the pure collagen membrane. In particular, the hybrid membrane containing 30% of the silica xerogel showed the highest level of osteoblast differentiation. Moreover, the GBR ability, as assessed by the in vivo animal test, was superior to that of the pure collagen membrane. These findings suggest that the collagen-silica xerogel hybrid can be used as a GBR membrane.
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