[Preliminary research for constructing tissue-engineered oral mucosa].

OBJECTIVE

To search for a method of constructing tissue-engineered oral mucosa.

METHODS

Hard palate mucoperiosteum were excised and extracted from raw SD milk rat. Tissue-engineered oral mucosa was made with the cultured oral keratinocytes that had been digested by Dispase and cultured in the serum-free keratinocytes medium, the supportive membrane being made from sodium alginate.

RESULTS

Rat oral mucosal epithelial cells could be obtained with Dispase digestion. It was found that the best time for oral mucosa membrane to be digested to independent cells by Dispase again is ten minutes after the mucosa membrane has been obtained by Dispase; the best density of rat oral mucosa cells cultured is 1.5 x 10(5)/cm2, and the mucosa cells will be difficult to form the colon if the density of cells is too low. The keratinocytes can be cultured in serum-free keratinocytes medium without fibroblast contamination; the mucosa cells grow well on the sodium alginate membrane.

CONCLUSION

Tissue-engineered oral mucosa can be constructed with the cultured oral keratinocytes in the serum-free keratinocytes medium and the self-made sodium alginate membrane.