Mechanical and biological properties of cellulose nanofibers as a dental biomaterial

Abstract

Background/purpose: Plant-derived cellulose nanofibers (CNF) have emerged as a promising material for biomedical applications due to their diverse and exceptional properties but application in dental research remains limited. This study aimed to use CNF as barrier membranes or scaffold materials applied in guided bone regeneration (GBR) and guided tissue regeneration (GTR). Materials and methods: Two different thicknesses of CNF were detected by surface morphology, roughness, hydrophilicity, mechanical properties, and degradability test, and compared with GC Membrane and Ti (titanium). Additionally, the cell compatibility and cell morphology of MC3T3-E1 and HGF-1 in different groups were also studied. The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of MC3T3-E1 was also examined on the 14th and 21st days. Results: Compared to the GC membrane, CNF showed better mechanical properties but remained inferior to titanium. Soaking increased their roughness and hydrophilicity while reducing mechanical strength. CNF also exhibited degradability, and good biocompatibility, with ALP expression significantly elevated at 14 and 21 days. Conclusion: The results of this study on various properties of CNF indicate that CNF has the potential to become a novel dental biomaterial.

Keywords

• Cellulose nanofibers
• Membranes
• Scaffolds
• Dental biomaterials