Designing and Optimizing a Bioactive Mucosal Dressing for Using in Dental and Oral Surgery

To facilitate biomimetic-guided soft tissue regeneration for dental and oral injuries, we develop an optimal mucosal dressing. For this purpose, Sodium alginate (Alg), Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC), Calcium Chloride (CaCl2), and trehalose were used in the experiment. The scaffold structure exhibits complete porosity with interconnected pores. The porosity percentage was 94%, and the average size of pores was 85 micrometers, which is conducive for effective cell adhesion. This can be attributed to the presence of trehalose, a glucose derivative that serves as a crosslinker to create a more coherent scaffold structure with smaller, highly interconnected pores. In the FTIR spectrum of the scaffold, it was observed that the peaks located at 2900 cm−1 in both alginate and CMC shifted slightly to 2926 cm−1. Similarly, the OH peak at 3300 cm−1 shifted to 3325 cm−1. These shifts in peak positions indicate a potential link between CMC/Alg and trehalose, suggesting strong interactions between the polymers of the scaffold components. The MTT and scratch assay results showed that the membrane had a significant effect on cell proliferation, migration, and spreading. In the scratch assay, the images revealed that the well with scaffold extract had a higher rate of migration and spreading compared to the control sample, which was cultured in DMEM culture medium. CMC/Alg/Trehalose membrane has the potential to successfully accelerate the wound healing process by facilitating adequate wound ventilation and management of wound exudates.