Development of Growth Factor Releasing Hyaluronic Acid-Based Hydrogel for Pulp Regeneration: A Preliminary Study

Growth factors play essential roles as signaling molecules in pulp regeneration. We investigated the effect of a hyaluronic acid (HA)-collagen hybrid hydrogel with controlled release of fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2 and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB on human pulp regeneration. The cell interaction and cytotoxicity of the HA-collagen hybrid hydrogel, the release kinetics of each growth factor, and the effects of the released growth factors on pulp cell proliferation were examined. The vitality of pulp cells was maintained. The amounts of FGF-2 and PDGF-BB released over 7 days were 68% and 50%, respectively. Groups with a different concentration of growth factor (FGF-2: 100, 200, 500, and 1000 ng/mL; PDGF-BB: 10, 50, 100, 200, and 500 ng/mL) were experimented on days 1, 3, 5, and 7. Considering FGF-2 concentration, significantly increased pulp cell proliferation was observed on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 in the 100 ng/mL group and on days 3, 5, and 7 in the 200 ng/mL group. In the case of PDGF-BB concentration, significantly increased pulp cell proliferation was observed at all four time points in the 100 ng/mL group and on days 3, 5, and 7 in the 50, 200, and 500 ng/mL groups. This indicates that the optimal concentration of FGF-2 and PDGF-BB for pulp cell proliferation was 100 ng/mL and that the HA-collagen hybrid hydrogel has potential as a controlled release delivery system for FGF-2 and PDGF-BB.