Mg-doped Hydroxyapatite Research Articles

Design of graded biomimetic osteochondral composite scaffolds

With the ultimate goal to generate suitable materials for the repair of osteochondral defects, in this work we aimed at developing composite osteochondral scaffolds organized in different integrated layers, with features which are biomimetic for articular cartilage and subchondral bone and can differentially support formation of such tissues. A biologically inspired mineralization process was first developed to nucleate Mg-doped hydroxyapatite crystals on type I collagen fibers during their self-assembling. The resulting mineral phase was non-stoichiometric and amorphous, resembling chemico-physical features of newly deposited, natural bone matrix. A graded material was then generated, consisting of (i) a lower layer of the developed biomineralized collagen, corresponding to the subchondral bone, (ii) an upper layer of hyaluronic acid-charged collagen, mimicking the cartilaginous region, and (iii) an intermediate layer of the same nature as the biomineralized collagen, but with a lower extent of mineral, resembling the tidemark. The layers were stacked and freeze-dried to obtain an integrated monolithic composite. Culture of the material for 2 weeks after loading with articular chondrocytes yielded cartilaginous tissue formation selectively in the upper layer. Conversely, ectopic implantation in nude mice of the material after loading with bone marrow stromal cells resulted in bone formation which remained confined within the lower layer. In conclusion, we developed a composite material with cues which are biomimetic of an osteochondral tissue and with the capacity to differentially support cartilage and bone tissue generation. The results warrant testing of the material as a substitute for the repair of osteochondral lesions in orthotopic animal models.

Raman and cathodoluminescence spectroscopies of magnesium-substituted hydroxyapatite powders

Stoichiometric and magnesium-substituted synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) powders with different Mg contents were characterized by Raman and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopies. The substitution of Ca ions by Mg is presently of great interest because it may improve activity in the first stage of the bone remodeling process. In this paper, we show new evidence that CL spectroscopy has the capability to detect the presence of crystal defects, related to the presence of magnesium substituting calcium in Mg-doped HA powders. The dependence of CL spectra of stoichiometric and magnesium-doped HA powders on their chemical composition was studied, and the results are compared with Raman analysis and data previously collected by other analytical tools. All the investigated powders showed five distinct CL bands; moreover, in magnesium-doped HA, an additional band at higher energy was found. The intensity ratios between selected CL bands showed some relationships with the powder crystallinity and the estimated amount of magnesium both in the HA lattice and in the amorphous surface layer; moreover the band observed only in magnesium-substituted powders could be directly related to the amount of magnesium entered into the HA lattice. Such results can contribute to improve the knowledge of the crystallographic structure of Mg-substituted hydroxyapatite.