Abstract
This is a feasibility study on the ability of biodegradable collagen coated with poly(L-lactide-co–ε-caprolactone) (PLC) to deliver the antimicrobial peptide, LL-37, for usage as a barrier membrane in guided bone regeneration. In this study, a nanofibrous PLC is fabricated using the electrospinning technique to establish the controlled release of the LL-37, which adsorbed onto collagen scaffold (LL/Col), in order to produce a LL/Col/PLC membrane. The in vitro released profiles of the LL-37 obtained from the LL/Col/PLC membranes are studied in phosphate buffer saline and are compared with unfabricated LL/Col membranes. According to the results, the LL/Col/PLC membrane is capable of delivering LL-37 in a sustained release in amounts that has no cytotoxicity over a period of 14 days. An assessment of the biocompatibility of the LL/Col/PLC membrane indicate that it can enhance the proliferation of mouse fibroblasts (L929) and human monocytes that are known to be a key regulator in the bone healing process. Moreover, the surface topography of the LL/Col/PLC membrane mimics the extracellular matrix by establishing cell attachment and proliferation. These findings indicate that the LL/Col/PLC membrane developed in this study can sustain the release of LL-37 in clinically relevant doses, which could then further enhance bone regeneration.