Alpha-calcium sulfate hemihydrate incorporated with tri-calcium phosphate and hydroxyapatite bioceramics as potential scaffold for bone regeneration

Abstract

The development of artificial grafts, including biodegradable materials and non-biodegradable ones, for bone regeneration is a significant advance in the field of biomaterial science. Notably, bioceramics such as calcium sulfate hemihydrate and calcium phosphates have attracted extensive attention from researchers due to their natural bone-like composition. However, some requirements related to mechanical properties, resorption ability, osteoinduction and osteoconduction of each bioceramics have not been effectively controlled to make them ideal materials for bone regeneration applications. In this study, composites of β-tricalcium phosphate, hydroxyapatite, and α-calcium sulfate hemihydrate (β-TCP/HA/α-CSH) were synthesized using wet mixing method in order to create a template that degrades in sync with bone growth, offer sufficient mechanical strength during healing process, and has appropriate setting time for precise surgical application. The β-TCP/HA compositional phase with the ratio of 80/20 (% in weight) would be used for the entire study meanwhile the influence of α-CSH on the behaviour of β-TCP/HA/α-CSH composites would be investigated. The successful preparation of β-TCP/HA/α-CSH composite was evaluated by FTIR, XRD, and SEM. In vitro testing has further demonstrated the commendable biodegradability of β-TCP/HA/α-CSH composites and its ability for cell adhesion and migration, suggesting that β-TCP/HA/α-CSH composites would be a promising biomaterial for bone engineering.