Biphasic Calcium Phosphate Powders Research Articles

Study of biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) ceramics of tilapia fish bones by age

Biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP), consisting of bioceramics such as HAp + β-TCP and Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 + Ca3(PO4)2, is a popular choice for optimizing performance due to its superior biological reabsorption and osseointegration. In this study, BCP was produced by calcining the bones of tilapia fish (Oreochromis niloticus) reared in net cages and slaughtered at an age ranging from 15 to 420 days. The bones were cleaned and dried, calcined at 900 °C for 8 h, and then subjected to high-energy grinding for 3 h to produce BCP powders. After the calcination process, the crystalline phase’s hydroxyapatite (HAp) and/or beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) were present in the composition of the bioceramic. The age-dependent variation in phase composition was confirmed by complementary vibrational spectroscopy techniques, revealing characteristic peaks and bands of the bioceramic. This variation was marked by an increase in HAp phase and a decrease in β-TCP phase. Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) from 25 to 1400 °C showed the characteristic mass losses of the material, with a greater loss observed for younger fish, indicating the complete removal of organic components at temperatures above 600 °C. Comparison of the results obtained by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld refinement with Raman spectroscopy showed excellent agreement. These results showed that with temperature and environment control and adequate fish feeding, it is possible to achieve the desired amounts of each phase by choosing the ideal age of the fish. This bioceramic enables precise measurement of HAp and β-TCP concentrations and Ca/P molar ratio, suitable for medical orthopedics and dentistry.

The acute inflammatory response to copper(II)-doped biphasic calcium phosphates

Infection and inflammation are two key features to consider to avoid septic or aseptic loosening of bone-implanted biomaterials. In this context, various approaches to fine-tune the biomaterial's properties have been studied in order to modulate the crosstalk between immune and skeletal cells. Cation-doping strategies for tuning of calcium phosphates properties has been evidenced as a promising way to control the biomaterial-induced inflammatory process, and thus improving their osteoimmunomodulatory properties. Copper(II) ions are recognized for their antibacterial potential, but the literature on their impact on particulate material-induced acute inflammation is scarce. We synthesized copper(II) ions-doped biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP), intended to exhibit osteoimmunomodulatory properties. We addressed in vitro, for the first time, the inflammatory response of human primary polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) to copper(II) ions-doped or undoped (BCP) powders, synthesized by an original and robust wet method, in the presence or absence of LPS as a costimulant to mimic an infectious environment. ELISA and zymography allowed us to evidence, in vitro, a specific increase in IL-8 and GRO-α secretion but not MIP-1β, TNF-α, or MMP-9, by PMNs. To assess in vivo relevance of these findings, we used a mouse air pouch model. Thanks to flow cytometry analysis, we highlighted an increased PMN recruitment with the copper(II) ions-doped samples compared to undoped samples. The immunomodulatory effect of copper(II) ions-doped BCP powders and the consequent induced moderate level of inflammation may promote bacterial clearance by PMNs in addition to the antimicrobial potential of the material. Copper(II) doping provides new insights into calcium phosphate (CaP)-based biomaterials for prosthesis coating or bone reconstruction by effectively modulating the inflammatory environment.

Scaffold of Bone Tissue Engineering Based on PVA/BCP Bioactive Composite Foam

This study constructed poly (vinyl alcohol)/ biphasic-calcium phosphate (PVA/ BCP) composite scaffolds. The biphasic-calcium phosphate (BCP) was incorporated in 0, 5, 10, and 25 wt%; BP0, BP1, BP2, and BP3, respectively. The surface morphology was done with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to observe the porosity and the pore size and distribution of fabricated samples. The Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and some physical properties such as porosity, density, swelling ratio, flexural strength, impact strength, and compression strength were also investigated. The biodegradation and bioactivity were also tested. The SEM results showed that the pores increased and became more regular and interconnected to each other with the increasing addition of BCP. The density decreased with the addition of BCP, while the porosity and mechanical properties increased with additives. The sample of BP3 has a high porosity (67%) and high impact strength (11.9 MPa). The high porosity is favorable for bone implants, and the mechanical strength must also be considered. The bio tests show that the biodegradation became regular by adding the BCP powder, which leads to ease of controlling the gradual degradation and the samples are bioactive for bone tissue. Keywords: Bone Tissue Engineering, PVA, Biphasic-Calcium Phosphate, Porosity, Mechanical properties

Impact of Remineralization Potential of Biphasic Calcium Phosphate Powders on Incipient Enamel Caries

Impact of Remineralization Potential of Biphasic Calcium Phosphate Powders on Incipient Enamel Caries

Magnetic polylactic acid-calcium phosphate-based biocomposite as a potential biomaterial for tissue engineering applications

This work aims the manufacture of injection molded polylactic acid (PLA)-based magnetic biocomposites, presenting an alternative approach to enhance the magnetic susceptibility of PLA-based biocomposites without resorting to the exclusive incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles whose long-term side effects are still unclear. Magnetic biocomposites were obtained by incorporating 5 wt% of iron doped biphasic calcium phosphate (FeBCP) powders into the PLA matrix and compared with similar composites containing 2 and 5 wt% of non-doped BCP powder, as well as neat PLA. The chemical, thermal, mechanical, and magnetic performances were evaluated. Biodegradability according to two sterilization methods used and cytotoxicity were also assessed. The composites with FeBCP exhibited a typical ferromagnetic-like behavior and presented a superior tensile strength even with low concentrations of FeBCP, when compared to PLA or non-doped composites, besides being cytocompatible. The presented proof of concept paves the way for future developments of new magnetic PLA-based biocomposites for biomedical applications.

Lithium doped biphasic calcium phosphate: Structural analysis and osteo/odontogenic potential in vitro.

Biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) is generally considered a good synthetic bone graft material with osteoinductive potential. Lithium ions are trace elements that play a role in the bone-remodeling process. This study aimed to investigate the effects of lithium ions on the phase, crystal structure, and biological responses of lithium doped BCPs and to identify improvements in their osteogenic properties. Lithium-doped BCP powders with different doping levels (0, 5, 10, and 20 at%) were synthesized via the co-precipitation method. We found that the four types of lithium-doped BCP powders showed different phase compositions of hydroxyapatite and β-tricalcium phosphate. In addition, lithium ions favored entering the β-tricalcium phosphate structure at the Ca (4) sites and calcium vacancy sites [VCa(4)] up to 10 at%. This substitution improves the crystal stabilization by filling the vacancies with Ca2+ and Li+ in all Ca sites. However, when the concentration of Li ions was higher than 10 at%, lithium-induced crystal instability resulted in the burst release of lithium ions, and the osteogenic behavior of human dental pulp stem cells did not improve further. Although lithium ions regulate osteogenic properties, it is important to determine the optimal amount of lithium in BCPs. In this study, the most effective lithium doping level in BCP was approximately 10 at% to improve its biological properties and facilitate medical applications.

Bio-Application of Poly (Vinyl Alcohol)/Biphasic Calcium Phosphate Scaffold as Bone Tissue Replacement

Background: Porous scaffolds composed of poly (vinyl alcohol)/Biphasic calcium phosphate (PVA/BCP) were prepared for bone tissue engineering. The effect of BCP was investigated on the morphology of pores, porosity, compression strength, swelling ratio, biodegradation, bioactivity, and in vivo blood count. Objective: the aim of the article is to prepare a porous scaffold with good mechanical properties and suitable for the living body by having biodegradable, bioactive, and biocompatible properties. Methods: The scaffold of PVA foam was prepared using 4g of PVA (Central Drug House, M.W. 13000-23000, Viscosity 3.5-4.5, Hydrolysis 87-89 %, PH 4.5-6.5, India) dissolved in 24 ml distilled water with stirrer for 5 minutes. The biphasic-calcium phosphate (BCP) (Ying Tong Chem and Tech, LTD, Density 3.14 g/cm3, China) was added to the solution with heat stirring for 5 minutes with a ratio of 0, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.25 with respect to the weight of PVA as shows in Table 1. The sulfuric acid (Central Drug House, M.W. 98.08, India) of (8 ml) was added drop by drop using a catalyzer. The citric acid (Central Drug House, M.W. 192.13, India) was added to the mixture with 24g to create esterification bonding. Results: The results showed that the scaffold using BCP had uniform pore size distribution, suitable porosity up to 67%, and showed high swelling ratio. The scaffolds were of biodegradable nature and almost degraded by about 37.5% in four weeks. The scaffold was biologically active in terms of the presence of calcium phosphate in the hydroxyapatite phase as in bone. The in vivo biocompatibility of the PVA/BCP scaffold was tested by comparing the blood count with the normal range of blood in rabbits. After 14 days, the Blood Urea, Creatinine, A total of Bilirubin, and Lymphocytes were higher than the control. Conclusion: The addition of BCP powder has a positive effect on porosity and pore size. The compression strength value increased significantly with the use of BCP from 2.12 to 5.29 MPa. The scaffolds show good biodegradation and well bioactivity. The culture of the biomaterial caused toxicity or an acute inflammatory response, as the blood test results showed that there was infiltration of polymorphous leukocytes, lymphocytes, macrophages, and fibroblasts.

Digital light processing (DLP) of nano biphasic calcium phosphate bioceramic for making bone tissue engineering scaffolds

Nano-sized ceramic particles are beneficial for the properties of 3D printed structures via digital light processing (DLP). However, achieving optimal conditions for the preparation and processing of ceramic nanoparticle-based slurry is a significant challenge. In this work, a stable and well dispersed slurry with nano-sized biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) powders was developed and porous BCP bioceramic scaffolds with good bioactivity were accurately fabricated via the DLP additive manufacturing technology. Effects of dispersant, photoinitiator and solid loading on rheological properties and curing abilities of BCP slurries were systematically studied. The slurry having 65 wt % of nano-sized BCP powders showed a relatively low viscosity of 400 mPa s at the 50 s−1 shear rate. It was found that the optimal photoinitiator concentration was tightly associated with the energy dosage in DLP. Furthermore, the effects of sintering temperature (1100 °C, 1200 °C and 1300 °C) on the surface morphology, shrinkage, phase constitution, hardness, compressive properties, and in vitro biological performance of DLP-formed bioceramics were comprehensively investigated. The results showed that DLP-formed BCP ceramics sintered at 1300 °C had the best mechanical properties, in vitro cytocompatibility, and homogeneous bone-like apatite formation ability. Finally, DLP-formed 3D scaffolds with different pore sizes ranging from 300 μm to 1 mm were successfully fabricated, which exhibited high fidelity and accuracy. The current study has demonstrated the great potential of using DLP technology to construct functional complex BCP bioceramic scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration.

Biogenic preparation of biphasic calcium phosphate powder from natural source of snail shells: bioactivity study

In this present work, carbonated apatite powder (CAP) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) were prepared from waste snail shells via thermal decomposition followed by chemical precipitation method with phosphoric acid in a one step process. The CAP produced was thereafter reacted with a pore forming agent solution of ammonium bicarbonate to formed carbonated apatite powder- ammonium bicarbonate scaffold composites (CAP-AMB) and was deployed in a bioactivity experiment with simulated body fluid (SBF) media. The phase purity, crystallinity, particle size, thermal behaviour, elemental composition, morphology as well as the functional groups of snail shells, synthesized CAP and CAP-AMB scaffold were assessed by XRD, FE-SEM, TGA, EDX, TEM and FT-IR. XRD and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) results confirmed the synthesized apatite as pure amorphous powder which upon heat treatment, transformed to polycrystalline powder. Analysis of FT-IR results revealed that the apatite produced from snail shells (SS) contains phosphates and hydroxyl functional groups. Furthermore, the formation of carbonated apatite was also confirmed from the FT-IR result with peaks which appeared at 882 and 1484 cm−1 respectively, thus depicting a B-type apatite. Microscopy analyses by FE-SEM and TEM indicated that the prepared apatite is composed of different morphologies in the range of 5 to 200 nm long. The presence of trace elements such as K, C, Na, Mg and Mg which could play crucial functions in biological applications were detected by EDX measurement alongside Ca and P. The mixture of CAP with AMB produced interconnected pores structure with porosity in the range of 35–67%. The bioactivity study of the SBF treated CAP-AMB composite confirmed apatite formation on the scaffold surface which totally covered the pores after seven days of incubation. Thus, waste biomaterial of snail shells origin can be use for the production of pure apatite that could be useful in medical application.Graphical abstract

Sr,Mg co-doping of calcium hydroxyapatite: Hydrothermal synthesis, processing, characterization and possible application as dentin substitutes

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of binary Sr, Mg ion-doping compared to the single-ion doping effects on the phase composition and morphology of hydrothermally obtained calcium hydroxyapatite (HAP) powders and on the phase composition, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the sintered materials. Additionally, the focus of this study was to investigate the possible utilization of the binary doped Sr,Mg-HAP compacts as dentin substitutes in restorative dentistry by evaluating their bonding ability with commercially available restorative materials using the shear bond strength test (SBS). The hydrothermally obtained mono-doped Mg5 and Sr5 showed the monophasic apatite structure, while in all co-doped samples β-TCP phase was formed, resulting in biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) powders. It was confirmed that co-doping with Sr and Mg ions led to the thermal stabilization of the β-TCP phase by suppressing the phase transition into α-TCP when sintered at 1200 °C. Moreover, the co-presence of Mg ions significantly improved the hardness of Sr-doped HAP from 3.74 to 5.02 GPa. Sr,Mg-HAP dental inserts were found to achieve sufficient bonding (13.53 MPa) through the micromechanical interlocking with Z250 dental composite and Single Bond Universal dental adhesive applied with a total etch approach. The SBS values obtained for the SrMg-HAP insert were similar to the literature data on bonding ability with human dentin, indicating that binary doped Sr,Mg-HAP ceramics present a promising material for application in restorative dentistry as dentin substitutes.

Copper-Doped Biphasic Calcium Phosphate Powders: Dopant Release, Cytotoxicity and Antibacterial Properties.

Cytotoxicity and antibacterial properties associated with the dopant release of Cu-doped Biphasic Calcium Phosphate (BCP) powders, mainly composed of hydroxyapatite mixed with β-tricalcium phosphate powders, were investigated. Twelve BCP ceramics were synthesized at three different sintering temperatures (600 °C, 900 °C and 1200 °C) and four copper doping rates (x = 0.0, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.20, corresponding to the stoichiometric amount of copper in Ca10Cux(PO4)6(OH)2-2xO2x). Cytotoxicity assessments of Cu-doped BCP powders, using MTT assay with human-Mesenchymal Stem Cells (h-MSCs), indicated no cytotoxicity and the release of less than 12 ppm of copper into the biological medium. The antibacterial activity of the powders was determined against both Gram-positive (methicillin-sensitive (MS) and methicillin resistant (MR) Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria. The Cu-doped biomaterials exhibited a strong antibacterial activity against MSSA, MRSA and E. coli, releasing approximatively 2.5 ppm after 24 h, whereas 10 ppm were required to induce an antibacterial effect against P. aeruginosa. This study also demonstrated that the culture medium used during experiments can directly impact the antibacterial effect observed; only 4 ppm of Cu2+ were effective for killing all the bacteria in a 1:500 diluted TS medium, whereas 20 ppm were necessary to achieve the same result in a rich, non-diluted standard marrow cell culture medium.

Characterization of Mesoporous Biphasic Calcium Phosphate Synthesized Using Chitosan and Aloe Vera Template

Biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) is a bonegraft material which is a mixture of hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, HA) and betatricalcium phosphate (Ca3(PO4)2, β-TCP). The combination of HA and β-TCP provides faster osseointegration, compared to HA, into parent bone so it can accelerate the bone recovery process. The mesoporous structure of bone graft material is suitable for drug delivery purpose. In order to study the mesoporous structure of BCP, the BCPs were prepared by precipitation method using chitosan, aloe vera, and chitosan-aloe vera hybrid as templates. A solution containing Ca(NO3)2·4H2O and template and a solution containing (NH4)2HPO4 and NH4HCO3 were used as starting materials. All prepared samples were calcined at 900°C for 1 hour. The identification of phases and functional groups of obtained BCP powders were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction technique and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, repectively. The XRD patterns show typical peaks of both HA and β-TCP crystal phases. FTIR spectra confirm the presence of phosphate functional groups. Morphological analysis using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) observed the presence of regular porous structure, however, the mesoporous structure was not seen. Particle size distribution and pore size analysis were analyzed by Particle Size Analyzer and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, respectively.

In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Nanostructured Biphasic Calcium Phosphate in Granules and Putty Configurations.

Synthetic biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) granules and powder are biocompatible biomaterials with a well-known capacity for osteoconduction, presenting very satisfactory clinical and histological results. It remains unanswered if the putty configuration impacts the biological response to the material. In this study, we aimed to compare the cytocompatibility and biocompatibility of nanostructured BCP in the putty configuration (moldable nanostructured calcium phosphate, MnCaP) on the healing of critical-sized bone defects (8 mm) in rat calvaria. Cytocompatibility was determined through the viability of fibroblast cells (V-79) to the extracts of different concentrations of MnCaP. Forty-five Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 15)—clot, MnCaP, and commercial biphasic calcium phosphate in granules configurations (Nanosynt®)—and subdivided into three experimental periods (1, 3, and 6 months). Histological, histomorphometric, and microtomographic analyses allowed the evaluation of newly formed bone, residual biomaterial, and connective tissue. The in vitro evaluation showed that MnCaP was cytocompatible. The histomorphometric results showed that the Nanosynt® group granted the highest new-formed bone values at six months (p < 0.05), although the biomaterial volume did not differ between groups. The putty configuration was easier to handle, and both configurations were biocompatible and osteoconductive, presented similar biosorption rates, and preserved the calvaria architecture.

Dual-scale porous biphasic calcium phosphate gyroid scaffolds using ceramic suspensions containing polymer microsphere porogen for digital light processing

This study demonstrates a novel type of biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) gyroid scaffolds featuring of gyroid macroporous structure and micropous BCP walls using poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microspheres as the porogen for ceramic digital light processing (DLP) technique. To tailor the microporosity of the BCP walls and the overall porosity of the dual-scale porous BCP scaffolds, the PMMA content with regard to the BCP powder was controlled in the range of 40 vol% to 70 vol%. After debinding at 600 °C and sintering at 1200 °C for 3 h, micropores were uniformly created throughout each BCP framework, while preserving 3−dimensional gyroid macroporous structures. As the PMMA content increased from 40 vol% to 70 vol%, the microporosity remarkably increased from 31.9 (±2.5) vol% to 55.2 (±1.4) vol%. This approach allowed the achievement of very high overall porosities (82.2–89.7 vol%) for the dual-scale porous scaffolds. However, all the scaffolds showed reasonable compressive strengths (0.8 MPa −2.1 MPa), which are comparable to those of cancellous bones.

Evaluation of bone regeneration potential of injectable extracellular matrix (ECM) from porcine dermis loaded with biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) powder.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) contains a wide array of complex proteins, growth factors and cytokines that regulate cell behavior and tissue development. ECM harvested from non-homologous ECM sources still provide a structural support and biochemical cues to cells for effective tissue remodeling. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of non-tissue specific decellularized ECM from porcine dermis loaded with biphasic calcium phosphate powder (BCP) in bone regeneration. Thermosensitive ECM hydrogels with BCP powder exhibited a porous morphology with a suitable injectability and increased mechanical stability. In-vitro studies using MC3T3-E1 pre osteoblast cells showed that the injectable ECM hydrogels were biocompatible and supported the osteogenic differentiation. The bone regeneration capacity of the injectable ECM hydrogels was evaluated in-vivo by implanting in rat femoral head for 4 and 8weeks. Micro-CT and histological staining results indicated that the injectable ECM hydrogels loaded with BCP powder showed higher and improved bone formation compared with the unfilled defect. Injectable ECM loaded with BCP powder is a good potential biomaterial for non-load bearing bone regeneration application.

Optimisation and biological activities of bioceramic robocast scaffolds provided with an oxygen-releasing coating for bone tissue engineering applications

Hypoxia is one of the major challenges after scaffold implantation which can lead to cell necrosis and bacterial infection. Using of supplemental oxygen can increase the cell proliferation, encourage the cell differentiation and prevent the infections. Developing an engineered scaffold with a sustained oxygen release is an outstanding way for addressing the challenges of oxygen deficiency. In this study, the bioceramic scaffolds were fabricated from biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) powder with the composition of 60% hydroxyapatite (HA) and 40% beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP). The Robocasting technique was utilised for producing a porous structure comprising interpenetrated ceramic rods in a 3-dimensional tetragonal mesh. The scaffold was modelled by the finite element method (FEM) for computing the stress fields and predicting their mechanical performance. Calcium peroxide (CPO), as an oxygen-producing and antimicrobial biomaterial, was mixed with a polycaprolactone (PCL) solution and was coated on the scaffolds by the dip-coating method. The coating layer possessed three different percentages of CPO (1, 3 and 5 wt%). The oxygen-releasing profile proved that this design of coating-scaffold could be effective as a system of oxygen delivery. According to the antibacterial investigations, releasing of CPO from the scaffolds could inhibit the growth of E. coli and S. aureus. SBF tests confirmed that the coated scaffolds because of CPO particles on their surface presented superior apatite precipitation in comparison with the uncoated one. The differentiated osteoblastic function was monitored by measuring the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. The coated BCP scaffolds with 3% and 5% CPO exhibited higher ALP activity compared to the other samples. The results demonstrated that the proposed bioceramic-based scaffolds containing oxygen-generating coating could be optimised to supply an antibacterial performance, ideal mechanical properties, improved ALP activity and higher apatite formation ability. Therefore, these scaffolds can be a promising candidate for applying in bone tissue engineering.

Novel sintering-free scaffolds obtained by additive manufacturing for concurrent bone regeneration and drug delivery: Proof of concept

Advances on the fabrication of sintering-free biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP)/natural polymer composite scaffolds using robocasting as additive manufacturing technique are presented in the present work. Inks with high amounts of BCP powders (45 vol%) containing different HA/β-TCP ratios, in presence of crosslinked polymer, were successfully fine-tuned for extrusion by robocasting. The non-existence of sintering step opened the possibility to obtain drug loaded scaffolds by adding levofloxacin to the extrudable inks. The drug presence induced slightly changes on the rheological behaviour of the inks, more emphasized for the BCP compositions with higher amounts of β-TCP, and consequently, on the microstructure and on the mechanical properties of the final scaffolds. The strong interaction of β-TCP with chitosan difficult the preparation of suitable rheological inks for printing. Drug delivery studies revealed a fast release of levofloxacin with a high burst of drug within the first 30 min. Levofloxacin loaded samples also presented bacteria growth inhibition ability, proving that antibiotic was not degraded during the fabrication process and its bactericidal efficacy was preserved. From the results obtained, the composite scaffolds containing higher amounts of HA (around 80% HA/20% β-TCP) constitute a promising bi-functional synthetic bone substitute for simultaneous local bone regeneration and infection treatments.

Synthesis and characterization of HA/β‐TCP bioceramic powder

AbstractThe main goal of this study is to elaborate and evaluate the physicochemical properties of the synthetic biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) powder: a combined mixture of hydroxyapatite (HA): Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 and beta‐tricalcium phosphate (β‐TCP): Ca3(PO4)2. The BCP mixture has two advantages: high bioactivity (HA) and rapid biodegradation (β‐TCP). The obtained powders of BCP were prepared by precipitate method. XRD analysisconfirmed that the synthetic materials were comprised of both HA and β‐TCP crystalline phases. SEM images showed that the small particles of HA attached on bigger particles of β‐TCP in the structure morphology of BCP. The in‐vitro experiment was carried out in static condition by soaking of a series of 50 mg BCP powders in 100 ml simulated body fluid (SBF) solution at different periods of soaking time. The microstructure and chemical bonds after soaking were studied by XRD and SEM methods. The obtained results confirmed the bioactivity of synthetic BCP material by the formation of a new apatite layer on its surface.

Biocompatibility and antimicrobial activity of biphasic calcium phosphate powders doped with metal ions for regenerative medicine

Abstract Biphasic [hydroxyapatite (HA) + β -tricalcium phosphate ( β -TCP)] calcium phosphate powders with partial substitutions of Ca 2+ by silver, copper, zinc and strontium ions were synthesized by precipitation. The aim was to improve the overall biological performance (antimicrobial effect and stimulated osteoblasts proliferation) of the bone graft materials made thereof. The prepared powders were calcined and characterized by different techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), elemental analysis, thermo gravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Rietveld refinement was used for quantitative phase analysis. The in vitro biocompatibility and the antibacterial activity of the powders were evaluated through the resazurin viability test with MG63 cells, and against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus , respectively. The quantitative elemental analysis revealed that only strontium ions have been fully incorporated into both HA and β -TCP phases. The in vitro biocompatibility with pre-osteoblastic cells was proved for all synthesized powders, while only the silver-doped powders exhibited antimicrobial activity against S. Aureus . The information gathered is of high relevance for designing improved calcium phosphate bioceramics.

Synthesis of Biphasic Calcium Phosphate and its Behaviour in Simulated Body Fluid

The main goal of this study is to elaborate and evaluate the physicochemical properties of the synthetic biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) powder: an associate compound of hydroxyapatite (HA): Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 and beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP): Ca3(PO4)2. The new compound BCP has two advantages: high bioactivity (HA) and fast biodegradation (β-TCP). The obtained powder of BCP was prepared by the precipitate method. XRD analysis confirmed the synthetic material contained both HA and β-TCP crystalline phases. SEM images showed that the small particles of HA attached to bigger particles of β-TCP in the structure morphology of BCP. The in vitro experiment was carried out in static condition by soaking of a series of 50 mg BCP powder in 100 ml of simulated body fluid solution at different period of soaking time. The XRD and SEM methods studied the microstructureand chemical bond after soaking. The obtained results confirmed the bioactivity of synthetic BCP material by the formation of a new apatite layer on its surface.