Harnessing the Wharton's jelly membrane osteo-biocompatibility by a tannic acid cross-linking

Decellularized extracellular matrix is a promising material for regenerative medicine applications. Decellularized Wharton's jelly (WJ) is considered as a favorable allograft based material due to its biological properties including antibacterial activities, and immunomodulation. However, the rapid degradation and poor mechanical behavior of WJ derived membranes in biological environment hinders their application in guided bone regeneration. In this study, we have demonstrated that tannic acid (TA), a natural polyphenol, is an efficient cross-linking agent to significantly improve the mechanical properties and the enzymatic stability of WJ membranes. In addition, the post-oxidation of WJ-TA membranes, by sodium periodate, endowed superior biological properties. Indeed, WJ-TA oxidized (WJ-TA-ox) membranes showed antibacterial and antioxidant activities along with a better performance in vitro, improving primary osteoblast and dental pulp stromal cell adhesion and proliferation, and in vivo, increasing the de novo bone formation in a parietal bone defect. These results showed the osteo-biocompatibility and the great potentials of WJ-TA-ox membranes for bone regenerative medicine.