In vitro cytotoxicity testing of coladerm membrane

Atpresent, biodegradable and biocompatible membranes based on collagen andglycosaminoglycans play an important role in substitutive medicine. Modernbiomaterials use a chemically modified collagen-based matrix for implants withprogrammable biodegradability as a substitute of buccal mucosa, skin,cartilage,etc. Besides the requirements for biocompatibility and biodegradability, themembranes must be also non-toxic. Therefore, cytotoxicity testing of thesematerials in vitro is an integral part of introducingnewlydeveloped types of membranes into clinical practice. As a biological model forthe tested COLADERM membrane, cell cultures from human embryonic fibroblasts(B-HEF-2) were used for both cytotoxicity testing as well as in tests to assessthe ability of cells to proliferate on this membrane. Along with the ability ofcells to grow on the surface and inside the membrane, immunohistochemicalexamination and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed as well. Theobtained results have shown that the COLADERM membrane is non-toxic withsuitable structural and biological properties for clinical application as asubstitute of buccal mucosa following surgical ablation of malignant tissuesfrom the oral cavity.