Nanohydroxyapatite as a Biomaterial for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration after Mechanical Damage-In Vitro Study.

Benita Wiatrak,Patrycja Pistor,Maciej Janeczek,Maciej Dobrzynski,Marta Szandruk-Bender,Paulina Sobierajska,Rafal J Wiglusz,Paulina Jawien,Adam Szelag

doi:10.3390/ijms22094454

Abstract

Hydroxyapatite has been used in medicine for many years as a biomaterial or a cover for other biomaterials in orthopedics and dentistry. This study characterized the physicochemical properties (structure, particle size and morphology, surface properties) of Li+- and Li+/Eu3+-doped nanohydroxyapatite obtained using the wet chemistry method. The potential regenerative properties against neurite damage in cultures of neuron-like cells (SH-SY5Y and PC12 after differentiation) were also studied. The effect of nanohydroxyapatite (nHAp) on the induction of repair processes in cell cultures was assessed in tests of metabolic activity, the level of free oxygen radicals and nitric oxide, and the average length of neurites. The study showed that nanohydroxyapatite influences the increase in mitochondrial activity, which is correlated with the increase in the length of neurites. It has been shown that the doping of nanohydroxyapatite with Eu3+ ions enhances the antioxidant properties of the tested nanohydroxyapatite. These basic studies indicate its potential application in the treatment of neurite damage. These studies should be continued in primary neuronal cultures and then with in vivo models.

Highlights

The demand for biomaterials is constantly growing due to the increasing life expectancy, which leads to an increase in the number of patients with skeletal system defects.Large defects often require the simultaneous regeneration of bone and nervous tissue.the current challenge is to obtain such implantable materials that enable innervation of the healing bone
We showed that lithium ions were effectively released from the apatite matrix, which had a beneficial effect on stem cells, and we found a novel Li+ ion delivery method based on nHAp application
We proposed lithium ions, incorporated into the nanohydroxyapatite structure, as an active agent that can affect the regeneration of nervous tissue

Summary

Introduction

The demand for biomaterials is constantly growing due to the increasing life expectancy, which leads to an increase in the number of patients with skeletal system defects.Large defects often require the simultaneous regeneration of bone and nervous tissue.the current challenge is to obtain such implantable materials that enable innervation of the healing bone. Materials implantable into the human body must be biocompatible and preferably bioactive, and over time, after tissue reconstitution, resorbable [1]. One of the implantation materials is based on calcium phosphates, the so-called hydroxyapatite (HAp), which may be of synthetic origin or derived from natural sources. These materials are characterized by chemical and mineralogical similarities to inorganic substances of bones and teeth. The isolated crystals of HAp from natural bones are deficient in calcium, possess rod-like or needle-like morphology in nanoscale, and are poorly crystalline [5]. The addition of HAp to natural polymers allows for better mechanical and biological properties of the designed product [12]

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Results

Conclusion