Expression of TNF- and MMP-13 Following Subcutaneous Implantation of Demineralized Freeze Dried Bovine Cortical Bone Membrane in Rat’s Dorsum

Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR) for alveolar bone augmentation requires combination of bone graft and tissue barrier in the form of biodegradable membrane. Bovine pericardium collagen membrane (BPCM) is the most commonly used resorbable membrane. Demineralized freeze dried bovine cortical bone membrane (DFDBCBM) was known to undergo faster biodegradation compared to BPCM. The study attempts to reveal the mechanism of DFDBCBM degradation by analyzing Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF-) and Matrix Metalloproteinase - 13 (MMP-13) expression after implantation of DFDBCBM and BPCM in rat’s dorsum. This experimental study used 60 male rat’s which are divided into 2 groups. Subcutaneous implantation of DFDBCBM were done in the first group, while BPCM implanted in the control group. On day 2, 5, 7, 14, 21 and 28 post implantation five rats were sacrificed from each group for immunohistochemistry staining to analyze TNF-α and MMP-13 expression. Comparative and correlation study were done to analyze the two parameters. There was no significant differences in TNF-α and MMP-13 expression between the two groups over all observation periods. However, no correlation was found between TNF-α and MMP-13 expression in both groups. The implantation of DFDBCBM does not induce excessive inflammatory response and it undergoes comparable biodegradation process with BPCM until 28 days post implantation. The level of inflammatory response does not correlate with the magnitude of membrane degradation.