Dental Research Journal 429 Dental Research Journal / July 2014 / Vol 11 / Issue 4 429 Original Article Emdogain effect on gingival fibroblast adhesion in bioabsorbable and non-resorbable barrier membranes: An in vitro study Mehrdad Barekatain, Morvarid Mafi 1 , Shirin Amini 2 , Shirin Zahra Farhad 2 Department of Restorative Dentistry, Khorasgan Islamic Azad Dental School, 1 Department of Periodontics, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, 2 Department of Periodontics, Khorasgan Islamic Azad Dental School, Isfahan, Iran ABSTRACT Background: Tissue engineering represents very exciting advances in regenerative medicine; however, periodontal literature only contains few reports. Emdogain (EMD) consists of functional molecules that have shown many advantages in regenerative treatments. This study investigated EMD effect on gingival fibroblast adhesion to different membranes. Materials and Methods: Two dense polytetrafluoroethylene membranes (GBR-200, TXT-200), Alloderm and a collagenous membrane (RTM Collagen) were used in this experimental study. Each membrane was cut into four pieces and placed at the bottom of a well in a 48-well plate. 10 μg/mL of EMD was added to two wells of each group.Two wells were left EMD free. Gingival fibroblasts were seeded to all the wells. Cell adhesion was evaluated by means of a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope after 24 hours incubation. Data was analyzed by independent t-test, one-way and two-way ANOVA and post hoc LSD test. P < 0.05 in independent t-test analysis and P < 0.001 in one-way ANOVA, two-way ANOVA and post hoc LSD analysis was considered statistically significant. Results: Alloderm had the highest cell adhesion capacity in EMD+ group and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). In EMD- group, cell adhesion to TXT-200 and Alloderm was significantly higher than GBR-200 and collagenous membrane (P < 0.001). Conclusion: This study showed that EMD may decrease the cell adhesion efficacy of GBR-200, TXT-200 and collagenous membrane but it can promote this efficacy in Alloderm. It also showed the composition of biomaterials, their surface textures and internal structures can play an important role in their cell adhesion efficacy. Key Words: Alloderm, cell adhesion, emdogain, guided tissue regeneration, polytetrafluroethylene INTRODUCTION The main goal of periodontal treatment is to control the inflammation in periodontal tissues and to regenerate the lost tissues predictably. To meet this goal it is critical to guide the tissues capable of regeneration. [1-3] Guided tissue regeneration is an accepted method for enhancement of lost periodontal tissue. In this technique a barrier membrane is used to prevent epithelial cell migration and stabilization of the clot into the defect. This prevention results in the migration of periodontal ligament cells and osteoblasts into defect and these cells are known to be responsible for tissue regeneration. [4] Different types of barrier membranes are introduced that had shown favorable results due to different studies. [5] These membranes are different in composition and structure, but all of them prevent the migration of epithelial and gingival connective tissue cells into the defect and ideally, a barrier membrane should enhance the cell attachment and migration of the progenitor cells. [5-10] Wound healing is a complex process which includes Received: May 2013 Accepted: July 2013 Address for correspondence: Dr. Morvarid Mafi Department of Periodontics, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. E-mail: Morvarid.ltk@ gmail.com Access this article online Website: http//:drj.mui.ac.ir