Tetracycline impregnation delays collagen membrane degradation in vivo

Background: Guided tissue and bone regeneration using bioabsorbable collagen membranes is a common practice. Collagen promotes progenitor cell adhesion, chemotaxis, homeostasis, and physiologic degradation with low immunogenicity, which makes it an ideal material for barrier preparation. Collagen membranes have to maintain integrity for aproper time, thus ensuring successful cell exclusion. Early collagen membrane degradation is detrimental for the success of regenerative procedures. This in vivo study was conducted to evaluate the effect of soaking collagen membranes in different tetracycline hydrochloride (TCN) concentration solutions on its degradation. Methods: Five mm disks of collagen membrane were soaked in either 100 mg/ml TCN (group 100) or 50 mg/ml TCN (group 50); a group of non-treated disks served as controls. All disks were labeled with aminohexanoyl-biotin-N-hydroxy-succinimide ester (biotin) and implanted in rat calvaria bone. Block sections were taken after 3 weeks and histological slides stained with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) to detect remnants of biotinylated collagen. Staining intensity was analyzed by image-analysis software taking quadruplicate measurements of a 500 μm² area each. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures and paired t test with Bonferroni correction. Results: Staining intensity of membranes in group 100 was >5-fold higher than the control while group 50 exhibited > 11-fold higher intensity than the control and >2.5-fold higher than the 100. All of these differences were statistically significant (P< 0.001). Conclusion: Soaking collagen membranes in 50 mg/ml TCN solution is a useful, practical, and simple tool to slow membrane degradation.