Clinical Efficacy of Polycaprolactone β-Calcium Triphosphate Composite for Osteoconduction in Rabbit Bone Defect Model.

Chiu-Ming Chen,Shiou-Fu Lin,Shen-Mao Chen,Huang-Chien Liang,Chia-Chun Wu

doi:10.3390/polym13152552

Abstract

The combination of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) with polycaprolactone (PCL) has been considered a promising strategy for designing scaffolds for bone grafting. This study incorporated PCL with commercially available β-TCP (OsteoceraTM) to fabricate an injectable bone substitute and evaluate the effect of PCL on compressive strength and setting time of the hydraulic cement. The mechanical testing was compliant with the ASTM D695 and ASTM C191-13 standards. Results showed that PCL-TCP composite presented a well-defined architecture with uniform pore distribution and a significant increase in compressive strength compared with β-TCP alone. Eighteen rabbits, each with two surgically created bone defects, were treated using the PCL-TCP composites. The composite materials were resorbed and replaced by newly formed bone tissue. Both PCL-TCP and β-TCP demonstrated equivalent clinical effects on osteoconduction property in terms of the percentage of newly formed bone area measured by histomorphometric analysis. PCL-TCP was proven to be as effective as the commercially available β-TCP scaffold (OsteoceraTM).

Highlights

Repair of large bone defects remains an unmet clinical need in modern orthopedics.These defects have resulted in poor quality of life for aging populations and have become a growing socioeconomic concern around the world [1]
The physicochemical characterization of the β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) (OsteoceraTM) and PCL–TCP focused on the pore size, porosity, compressive strength and the material setting time
We have successfully demonstrated the injectability of PCL–TCP composite material, and characterized the mechanical properties of a PCL–TCP composite and its osteoconduction property following the implantation in rabbit bone injury model

Summary

Introduction

Repair of large bone defects remains an unmet clinical need in modern orthopedics.These defects have resulted in poor quality of life for aging populations and have become a growing socioeconomic concern around the world [1]. To address the continuous resorption of bone because of age or disease, use of biomaterials that are compatible with bone and are inert to the immune system has been developed. Biomaterials such as polymers, metals and ceramics used in clinical applications of orthopedics and dentistry procedures have been known to contain several disadvantages. Synthetic and biodegradable polymers with tunable properties used as bone scaffolds have been reported to raise the risk of immunogenicity and toxicity [4,5] Metals such as titanium (Ti), magnesium and stainless steel possess great mechanical strength and excellent fatigue resistance. Use of calcium phosphate-based biomaterials is considered as the gold standard [8]

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