Effect of Acemannan/Aloe Vera on Bone Regeneration Specially in the Oral and Maxillofacial Region: A Literature Review

With the advances in technology, the use of natural materials has broadened. Acemannan is the main polysaccharide in aloe vera plant. It is a natural and biocompatible polymer with low toxicity. The acemannan monomers include mannose, glucose and galactose. Due to its biological properties, acemannan could be useful in bone regeneration.  The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of acemannan/aloe vera on bone regeneration and extraction socket healing.  

In this review article, an electronic search was conducted in PubMed and Scopus from 1996 to June 2022. Relevant data based on clinical indications were extracted. Twenty original articles, including 4 in vitro studies, 8 animal, and 8 human studies were reviewed. The inclusion criterion was articles that directly and originally evaluated the correlation of bone regeneration and acemannan/aloe vera.

Over 30 studies were found in this field by database searching. According to the results, the proposed items could be categorized into 3 major groups of animals, human, and in vitro studies. Animal studies were divided into two groups of bone defect regeneration and extraction socket healing. Also, human studies were divided into two groups of bone defect regeneration and sinus floor elevation/guided bone regeneration surgeries. All studies reported positive effect of Acemannan/aloe vera on bone healing and regeneration.

Acemannan/aloe vera may be considered as a bioactive molecule due to induction and acceleration of bone formation.