Hydoxyapatite/beta-tricalcium phosphate biphasic ceramics as regenerative material for the repair of complex bone defects

• Published in: Journal of biomedical materials research. Part B, Applied biomaterials Vol. 106; no. 6; pp. 2493 - 2512
• Main Authors: Rh Owen, Gethin, Dard, Michel, Larjava, Hannu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-08-2018
• Subjects: Apatite; Autografts; Biocompatibility; Biomedical materials; Bone composition; Bone grafts; Bone growth; Bone resorption; Calcium; Calcium phosphates; Chemical properties; Collagen; Composite materials; Grafting; Hydroxyapatite; Materials research; Materials science; Mechanical loading; Mechanical properties; Organic chemistry; Osteoconduction; Osteogenesis; Physical properties; Regeneration; Regeneration (physiology); Substitute bone; Surgical implants; Tricalcium phosphate; biodegradation; osteoconduction; calcium phosphate(s); bioactivity; osteoinduction
• ISSN: 1552-4973; 1552-4981
• DOI: 10.1002/jbm.b.34049

Bone is a composite material composed of collagen and calcium phosphate (CaP) mineral. The collagen gives bone its flexibility while the inorganic material gives bone its resilience. The CaP in bone is similar in composition and structure to the mineral hydroxyapatite (HA) and is bioactive, osteoinductive and osteoconductive. Therefore synthetic versions of bone apatite (BA) have been developed to address the demand for autologous bone graft substitutes. Synthetic HA (s-HA) are stiff and strong, but brittle. These lack of physical attributes limit the use of synthetic apatites in situations where no physical loading of the apatite occurs. s-HA chemical properties differ from BA and thus change the physical and mechanical properties of the material. Consequently, s-HA is more chemically stable than BA and thus its resorption rate is slower than the rate of bone regeneration. One solution to this problem is to introduce a faster resorbing CaP, such as β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), when synthesizing the material creating a biphasic (s-HA and β-TCP) formulation of calcium phosphate (BCP). The focus of this review is to introduce the major differences between BCP and biological apatites and how material scientists have overcome the inadequacies of the synthetic counterparts. Examples of BCP performance in vitro and in vivo following structural and chemical modifications are provided as well as novel ultrastructural data. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 2493-2512, 2018.