Decellularised hard palate mucosal extracellular matrix material promoting osteogenesis.

Aim or Purpose: This study aims to fabricate decellularised extracellular matrix (ECM) material from the hard palate mucosa. Materials and Methods: In this study, a new decellularized hard palate mucosal ECM material (DPM) with special structural characteristics could be obtained by using an isopropanol-surfactant decellularization process. The characterization of DPM was compared with natural palate mucosa through hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE) staining, immunofluorescence staining and scanning electron microscopy. In animal experiments, 8 weeks Sprague-Dawley rats were used to create cranial defects, set up with DPM group and blank control group. Micro-CT scans, HE staining and Masson staining were used to compare bone tissue healing after 4 weeks and 8 weeks. Results: DPM was successfully obtained by decellularization process. Compared with the control group, the ECM in the experimental group had less residual cellular components after decellularization, with basically no nucleus structure, and was able to maintain a more stable collagen structure. The results of the animal experiments showed that bone volume/total volume and trabecular thickness were significantly higher (p < 0.05) and trabecular spacing was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the micro-CT scans of the DPM group compared to the blank control group. Conclusions: The DPM has been shown to have good osteogenic properties in vivo experiments. The underlying mechanisms by which it can promote osteogenesis still needs to be further explored.