Physicochemical Properties of 3D Bovine Natural Scaffolds as a Function of the Direction

Abstract

Bovine trabecular bone (BTB) is a source for obtaining hydroxyapatite for bone regeneration due to its high metabolic activity inside the human body. In this work, the physicochemical properties of BTB defatted and deproteinized cubic pieces (1 cm x 1cm x 1 cm) defatted and deproteinized as well as incinerated at 580 °C were analyzed in order to determine the characteristics that any scaffold for bone regeneration must-have. SEM images evidenced its complex interconnected macrostructure, and X-ray patterns showed hydroxyapatite nanocrystals with preferred orientation. 2D radiographs allowed to reconstruct 3D images of a BTB cube and determine that the aBMD exhibits an inversely proportional behavior to the porosity of the samples. BTB cubes present higher Young's moduli for the Z-direction than the X- and Y-direction, regardless of the pretreatment that the samples received. This finding confirms that the mechanical properties of the scaffolds are governed by the crystalline structure, morphology, and spatial distribution of the BTB, which constitute the macrostructure of the bone.