Toward guided tissue and bone regeneration: morphology, attachment, proliferation, and migration of cells cultured on collagen barrier membranes. A systematic review.

Collagen barrier membranes are frequently used in both guided tissue regeneration (GTR) and guided bone regeneration (GBR). Collagen used for these devices is available from different species and is often processed to alter the properties of the final product. This is necessary because unprocessed collagen is rapidly resorbed in vivo and demands for barrier membranes are different in GTR and GBR. This systematic literature review attempts to evaluate possible effects of collagen origin and mode of cross-linking on the potential of different cells to attach to, proliferate on, and migrate over barrier membranes in vitro. Seventeen original studies, selected by a systematic process, are included in this review. The results show that fibroblasts of different species and originating tissues as well as bone-forming cells are able to attach to collagen membranes irrespective of collagen origin or mode of processing. Different cell types behave differently on identical membranes. Many pieces of evidence are currently available, and we attempted to elucidate the effects of collagen origin and mode of processing on cellular behavior, but further research will be required before it will be possible to predict for certain the effect a specific procedure will have with a given product.