In vitro bioactivity and biological assays of porous membranes of the poly(lactic acid) containing calcium silicate fibers

Abstract

A new approach in dentistry is based on the development of resorbable polymeric membranes for guided bone regeneration. The porous membrane surface promotes better cell adhesion and proliferation. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is one of most widely used polymers for several biological applications, with the advantage of presenting hydrolysis degradation and bioresorption of its products. In this work, PLA porous polymeric membranes containing calcium silicate (CaSiO3) fibers were prepared by controlled humidity technique. The porous membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, bioactivity in simulated body fluid and biological studies in vitro. The incorporation of the CaSiO3 fibers into the polymeric matrix increased the pore size (1.5–34.9 µm). In the bioactivity assay, PLA/CASiO3 membranes induced the formation of a hydroxyapatite layer on the porous membrane surface. Also, in vitro biologic assays showed that the porous membranes provided suitable environment for cell attachment and proliferation.