A Novel Chitosan-γPGA Polyelectrolyte Complex Hydrogel Promotes Early New Bone Formation in the Alveolar Socket Following Tooth Extraction

Hao-Hueng Chang,Feng-Huei Lin,Yen-Liang Chen,Yu-Horng Chuang,Yu-Chih Chiang,Yin-Lin Wang,Chun-Pin Lin,Shang-Jye Tsai,Kuo-Huang Heish,Ali Al-Ahmad

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0092362

Hao-Hueng Chang, Feng-Huei Lin + Show 8 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0092362

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Abstract

A novel chitosan-γPGA polyelectrolyte complex hydrogel (C-PGA) has been developed and proven to be an effective dressing for wound healing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if C-PGA could promote new bone formation in the alveolar socket following tooth extraction. An animal model was proposed using radiography and histomorphology simultaneously to analyze the symmetrical sections of Wistar rats. The upper incisors of Wistar rats were extracted and the extraction sockets were randomly treated with gelatin sponge, neat chitosan, C-PGA, or received no treatment. The extraction sockets of selected rats from each group were evaluated at 1, 2, 4, or 6 wk post-extraction. The results of radiography and histopathology indicated that the extraction sockets treated with C-PGA exhibited lamellar bone formation (6.5%) as early as 2 wk after the extraction was performed. Moreover, the degree of new bone formation was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the extraction sockets treated with C-PGA at 6 wk post-extraction than that in the other study groups. In this study, we demonstrated that the proposed animal model involving symmetrical sections and simultaneous radiography and histomorphology evaluation is feasible. We also conclude that the novel C-PGA has great potential for new bone formation in the alveolar socket following tooth extraction.

Highlights

Healing the alveolar socket following tooth extraction relieves discomfort and preserves the height of the alveolar ridge [1,2]
The aims of this study were to establish an animal model using radiography and histomorphology simultaneously to analyze the symmetrical sections of Wistar rats, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the novel C-PGA to promote the healing and new bone formation of the alveolar socket following tooth extraction
The extraction sockets that were treated with the gelatin sponge at 1, 2, and 4 wk exhibited characteristics that were similar to those of the control group

Summary

Introduction

Healing the alveolar socket following tooth extraction relieves discomfort and preserves the height of the alveolar ridge [1,2]. The hydrophilic surface of hydrogels produces low interfacial free energy when it is in contact with body fluid and, exhibits excellent biocompatibility [11,12]. Because of these properties, hydrogels have recently been used as drug carriers and artificial tissue scaffolds [11,13]. Radical crosslinks provide a high crosslinking quality, but residual radicals may still exist in the hydrogels. These safety concerns limit the use of radical crosslinks. We chose 2 oppositely charged agents to form polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) hydrogels [11,12]

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