Platelet-rich fibrin membranes as scaffolds for periosteal tissue engineering

Objectives Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF)-based membranes have been used for covering alveolar ridge augmentation side in several in vivo studies. Few in vitro studies on PRF and no studies using human periosteal cells for tissue engineering have been published. The aim is a comparison of PRF with the commonly used collagen membrane Bio-Gide (R) as scaffolds for periosteal tissue engineering. Material and methods Human periosteal cells were seeded on membrane pieces (collagen [Bio-Gide (R)] and PRF) at a density of 104 cells/well. Cell vitality was assessed by fluorescein diacetate (FDA) and propidium iodide (PI) staining, biocompatibility with the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) test and proliferation level with the MTT, WST and BrdU tests and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results PRF membranes showed slightly inferior biocompatibility, as shown by the LDH test. The metabolic activity measured by the MTT and WST tests was higher for PRF than for collagen (BioGide (R)). The proliferation level as measured by the BrdU test (quantitative) and SEM examinations (qualitative) revealed higher values for PRF. Conclusion PRF appears to be superior to collagen (Bio-Gide (R)) as a scaffold for human periosteal cell proliferation. PRF membranes are suitable for in vitro cultivation of periosteal cells for bone tissue engineering. To cite this article:Gassling V, Douglas T, Warnke, PH, Acil Y, Wiltfang J, Becker ST. Platelet-rich fibrin membranes as scaffolds for periosteal tissue engineering.Clin. Oral Impl. Res. 21, 2010; 543-549.doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0501.2009.01900.x.