Chitosan from Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia Illucens) Pupae Increases Osteoblasts and Decreases Osteoclasts Post-Tooth Extraction: In vivo Study

Introduction: Tooth extraction can cause injury to the alveolar process in the form of an open socket. Black Soldier Fly (BSF) pupa contains 35% chitin which can be processed into chitosan through chitin deacetylation. Chitosan has high osteoinduction, easy application, and good biodegradability for bone regeneration. Aim: To evaluate the expression of osteoblast and osteoclast numbers following tooth extraction and the application of chitosan BSF pupa gel. Material and Methods: Chitosan from BSF pupa was formulated into a gel. A total of 18 Cavia cobaya were anesthetized with an intramuscular injection in the upper thigh, using a combination of ketamine (50 mg/kg body weight) and xylazine (5 mg/kg body weight), divided into control group (n = 9) not given BSF chitosan gel in the post-tooth extraction socket and the treatment group (n = 9) given BSF chitosan pupa gel (0.3 ml) in the post-tooth extraction socket. Samples were decapitated on days 7, -14, and -21 to see the expression of the number of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Data was analyzed using Oneway ANOVA. Results: There was an increase in the number of osteoblasts in the treatment group on day 7 (52.20±1.90); day 14 (91.53±1.00); day 21 (104.13±5.33) of the control group day 7 (39.80±5.43); day 14 (61,13±1,10); day 21 (82,60±2.11). There was a decrease in the number of osteoclasts in the treatment group on day 7 (4.86±1.51); day 14 (9±0.34); day 21 (2.66±0.11); of the control group day 7 (9.83±0.35); day 14 (12.80±0.72); day 21 (2.46±0.11) (p=0.00 oneway test ANOVA ). Conclusions: The application of chitosan derived from BSF pupa has the potential to accelerate bone formation by increasing the number of osteoblasts and reducing the number of osteoclasts after tooth extraction, suggesting its beneficial role in bone regeneration.