The influence of Aloe vera with mesenchymal stem cells from dental pulp on bone regeneration: characterization and treatment of non-critical defects of the tibia in rats

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the inflammatory effect and bone formation in sterile surgical failures after implantation of a collagen sponge with mesenchymal stem cells from human dental pulp (hDPSCs) and Aloe vera. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Rattus norvegicus (n=75) were divided into five experimental groups according to treatment: G1) control (blood clot); G2) Hemospon(®); G3) Hemospon(®) in a culture medium enriched with 8% Aloe vera; G4) Hemospon(®) in a culture medium containing hDPSCs and G5) Hemospon(®) in a culture medium enriched with 8% Aloe vera and hDPSCs. On days 7, 15 and 30, the animals were euthanized, and the tibia was dissected for histological, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analyses. The results were analyzed using nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn’s post-test. RESULTS: On days 7 and 15, the groups with Aloe vera had less average acute inflammatory infiltrate compared to the control group and the group with Hemospon(®) (p<0.05). No statistically significant difference was found between the groups regarding bone formation at the three experimental points in time. Osteopontin expression corroborated the intensity of bone formation. Fluorescence microscopy revealed positive labeling with Q-Tracker(®) in hDPSCs before transplantation and tissue repair. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the combination of Hemospon(®), Aloe vera and hDPSCs is a form of clinical treatment for the repair of non-critical bone defects that reduces the inflammatory cascade’s effects.