Relative influence on cell behaviors of osteoblasts seeded onto demineralized bone matrix with diverse particle size

Demineralized bone matrix (DBM) is a natural and collagen-based allogeneic bone graft material with good bioactivity and biocompatibility. However, there are conflicting reports on the efficiency of this product owning to the relevant factors, especially, the particle size of DBM. In the current study, osteoblasts were seeded onto DBM with diverse particle sizes of 0.6-1.0 mm, 2.2-2.6 mm, 3.8-4.2 mm and 5.4-5.8 mm, and then the cell adhesion, proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis were analyzed to evaluate the effects of particle sizes on bioactivity and biocompatibility of DBM. It could be identified that particle size had a significant influence on the surface roughness and the collagen structure of DBM. In-vitro cytological assays had confirmed that DBM with all particle sizes had good cytocompatibility, which was beneficial for cell survival. What's more, DBM with a smaller particle size had a better biological activity and could promote cell proliferation and differentiation. We hope that researchers could choose to apply DBM with particle size of 0.6-1.0 mm for further intensive study, from which researchers will acquire more comparable and reliable conclusions for different study purposes.