Background:Guided bone regeneration (GBR) procedures require barrier membrane fixation to ensure membrane and graft stability. Recently, innovative resorbable fibrous gelatine membranes have been developed with a coating based on poly(2-oxazoline) (POx) polymer modified with mineral-adhesive alendronate (POx-Ale) and/or amine-reactive N-hydroxysuccinimide groups (POx-OH-NHS) to obtain bone-adhesive properties. We here assessed thein vivotissue adhesive properties and the effect on bone growth and biocompatibility of novel GBR membranes in a non-critical rat cranial defect model.Methods:In 60 rats (n = 12 per group), experimental bone adhesive GBR membranes (POx-Ale, POx-OH-NHS, and POx-Ale/POx-OH-NHS mixture) and control membranes (non-coated control and collagen Bio-Gide membranes) were evaluated upon application as covers on non-critical cranial defects (ø4 mm). Tissue adherence, bone growth, biocompatibility, membrane degradation and tissue responses were assessed by macro- and microscopic evaluation after 5- and 14-days implantation.Results:Membrane adherence to bone tissue upon application was significantly higher for POx-Ale (p= 0.003), POx-OH-NHS (p= 0.000), POx-Ale/POx-OH-NHS polymer (p= 0.000), and non-coated membranes (p= 0.006) compared to Bio-Gide membranes, although this effect was no longer visible after 5 and 14 days of implantation. A lower cohesive strength and more fragmentations of the POx-coated membranes were detected in comparison to both control membranes. At these short implantation periods, all membranes showed similar levels of bone regeneration in the cranial bone defect area. Although adverse tissue reactions were not observed for any of the membranes, POx-coated membranes swelled more than Bio-Gide membranes.Conclusions:Novel bone adhesive GBR membranes demonstrated improved adherence upon application to bone tissue compared to commercially available Bio-Gide membranes.