A Critical Review on the Production of Electrospun Nanofibres for Guided Bone Regeneration in Oral Surgery

Abstract

Nanofibre-based membranes or scaffolds exhibit high surface-to-volume ratio, which allows an improved cell adhesion, representing an attractive subgroup of biomaterials due to their unique properties. Among several techniques of nanofiber production, electrospinning is a cost-effective technique that has been, to date, attractive for several medical applications. Among these, guided bone regeneration is a surgical procedure in which bone regeneration, due to bone atrophy following tooth loss, is "guided" by an occlusive barrier. The membrane should protect the initial blood clot from any compression, shielding the bone matrix during maturation from infiltration of soft tissues cells. This review will focus its attention on the application of electrospinning (ELS) in oral surgery bone regeneration. Despite the abundance of published papers related to the electrospinning technique applied in the field of bone regeneration of the jaws, to the authors' knowledge, no articles report clinical application of these structures. Moreover, only a few records can be found with in vivo application. Therefore, no human studies have to date been detectable. New approaches such as multifunctional multilayering and coupling with bone promoting factors or antimicrobial agents, makes this technology very attractive. However, greater efforts should be made by researchers and companies to turn these results into clinical practice.

Keywords: electrospinning; guided bone regeneration; membranes; oral surgery; scaffolds.

Figure 1

Schematic representation of the essential set-up of an electrospinning (ELS) device.

Figure 2

Taylor cone obtained with the following parameters: a solution of polycaprolactone (PCL) 12% w/v in dichloromethane/dimethylformamide (DCM/DMF) 7:3 applying 17 kV of potential and 0.6 mL/h of flow rate and using a 25 G needle. Nikon D3500, macro 105 Sigma tamron lens, Sigma ring flash.

Figure 3

Nanofiber-based membrane obtained with the following parameters: chitosan 2.5% w/v + lactose-modified chitosan 0.5% w/v in acetic acid 90%, 15 kV of potential, 27 G needle, 0.6 mL/h of flow rate. Ribbon-like fibres can be appreciated. Quanta250 scanning electron microscope (SEM), FEI, Hillsboro, OR, USA; 2000×.

Figure 4

Nanofiber-based membrane obtained with the following parameters: PCL 6% w/v in DCM/methanol (MeOH) 7:3, 17 kV of potential, 27 G needle, flow rate of 0.6 mL/h. The formation of multiple beads can be appreciated. Quanta250 SEM, FEI, Hillsboro OR, USA; 2000×.

Figure 5

Nanofibre-based membrane obtained after 60 min of ELS with the following parameters: PCL 12% w/v in DCM/DMF 7:3, 17 kV potential, 27 G needle, 0.6 mL/h of flow rate. Nikon D3500, macro 105 Sigma tamron lens, Sigma ring flash. Membranes can be handled easily with surgical tweezers.

Figure 6

Nanofibre-based membrane obtained after 60 min of ELS with the following parameters: PCL 12% w/v in DCM/DMF 7:3, 17 kV potential, 27 G needle, 0.6 mL/h of flow rate. Nikon D3500, macro 105 Sigma tamron lens, Sigma ring flash. See the mechanical resistance during stretching the same membrane of Figure 5 after cut then sutured with 5/0 polypropylene.