Immobilization of vascular endothelial growth factor onto semi-resorbable membrane for enhancing angiogenesis in guided bone regeneration

This study incorporated Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and polydopamine (PDA) into a Semi-resorbable membrane (SRM) to control the release profile of VEGF, thereby enhancing timely and sufficient vascularization in guided bone regeneration. Dopamine (DA) was optimized and selected using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Water Contact Angle (WCA), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). After PDA coating, VEGF-immobilized SRMs were prepared at different concentrations (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1 µg). Then, the released profile of VEGF 1 µg was evaluated with the Bradford Assay at specific time points up to 1 week. The degradation rate (%) was assessed hydrolytically and enzymatically up to 180 days. Cell Proliferation of fibroblasts and Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was examined with PrestoBlue Assay, at 1-, 3-, 7-, and 10-day intervals. From SEM, WCA, and FTIR, polydopamine 1 mg/ml for 1 h. was selected for coating and VEGF immobilization. The released profile of VEGF showed a sharp increase up to 6 h., then stable and slightly decreased on Day 2, and slowly released and stable until Day 7. The VEGF-immobilized SRM was slowly degraded by SBF (18.04% ± 2.13%) and lysozyme (24.44% ± 2.93%) in 180 days. In the cell proliferation assay, all experimental groups showed increased proliferation of fibroblasts and HUVECs at all concentrations. The maximum amount of VEGF (0.5 μg/ml) gained the best result, but no statistical significance between 0.5 and 0.3 μg/ml on Day 10. VEGF-immobilized SRMs exhibited biocompatibility with fibroblasts and HUVECs. They effectively released VEGF during the first week, corresponding to the early phase of bone healing, demonstrating potential as bioactive membranes for angiogenesis.