Evaluation and comparison of mechanical properties of platelet-rich fibrin membrane, fish collagen membrane, bovine collagen membrane and chorionic membrane-An SEM study

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the mechanical properties of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) membrane with that of commercially available collagen membranes and chorionic membranes. Materials and Methods: The modulus of elasticity and hardness of PRF membrane, bovine collagen membrane, fish collagen membrane, and chorionic membrane were assessed using a universal testing machine. The in vitro degradation rate was assessed by placing these membranes on a temperature-controlled shaker set for one week. The degradation profiles were expressed as the accumulated weight loss of the membrane. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) evaluation of these membranes was done under both low and high magnification. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's post hoc tests were performed for statistical analysis. Results: A statistically significant difference in the tensile strength and hardness of membranes was observed. Bovine collagen membrane had the highest strength (84.11 MPa and 16.46 MPa) followed by fish collagen membrane, chorionic membrane, and least for PRF membranes observed. The degradation rate at one week was highest for the PRF membrane (55.6%), followed by the fish collagen membrane (32.5%). SEM evaluation showed that the bovine collagen membrane had significantly higher numbers of collagen fibres compared to the fish collagen membrane and chorionic membrane. Conclusion: Bovine collagen membrane had the highest mechanical properties with the maximum amount of collagen fibre meshwork. Only the PRF membrane had cellular distribution in its composition, while the commercially available membrane had significantly higher numbers of collagen fibres with the total absence of cellular components.