Cytocompatibility of bio-inspired silicon carbide ceramics

Carbon-Fibre-Reinforced SiC Composite (C/SiSiC) as an Alternative Material for Endoprosthesis: Fabrication, Mechanical and In-Vitro Biological Properties

Particle-induced periprosthetic osteolysis and subsequent aseptic implant loosening are a major cause of compromising the long-term results of total joint replacements. To date, no implant has been able to mirror radically the tribological factors (friction/lubrication/wear) of in vivo tribological pairings. Carbon-Fibre Reinforced SiC-Composites (C/SiSiC), a material primarily developed for brake technology, has the opportunity to fulfil this requirement. Until now, the material itself has not been used in medicine. The aim of this investigation was to test the suitability of C/SiSiC ceramics as a new material for bearing couples in endoprosthetics. After the preparation of the composites flexural strength was determined as well as the Young’s-modulus and the coefficient of friction. To investigate in vitro biological properties, MG 63 and primary human osteoblasts were cultured on C/SiSiC composites. To review the proliferation, the cytotoxicity standardized tests were used. The cell morphology was observed by light microscopy, ESEM, confocal and 3D-laserscanning microscopy. C/SiSiC possesses a high resistance to wear. Cells exhibited no significant alterations in morphology. Vitality was not impaired by contact with the ceramic composite. There was no higher cytotoxicity to observe. Regarding these results, C/SiSiC ceramics seem to be biologically and mechanically appropriate for orthopaedic applications.

The improved biological response of shark tooth bioapatites in a comparative in vitro study with synthetic and bovine bone grafts

Autologous bone is considered to be the gold standard for bone tissue regeneration, providing more highly efficient functional responses compared to synthetic materials, and avoiding the rejection risks of allogenic grafts. However, it presents limitations for certain types of surgery due to its high resorption levels and donor site morbidity. Different biphasic synthetic composites, based onnon-apatitic calcium phosphates enriched with apatitic phases-such as hydroxyapatite, and bioderived bone grafts of bovine and porcine origin-are proposed as lower resorption materials due to their higher crystalline structure. The present work proposes two new sources of bioapatites for bone filler applications obtained from the dentine and enameloid of shark teeth, respectively. These bioapatites each present a characteristic apatite-based composition and additional enrichments of specific trace elements, such as magnesium and fluorine, with proven roles in bone metabolism. Their processing and physicochemical characterization (SEM, FT-Raman and XRD) is presented, together with an in vitro evaluation of osteogenic activity compared to a commercial bovine mineralized matrix and synthetic HA/β TCP grafts. The results proved the globular morphology (0.5-1.5 μm) and porosity (~50 μm and ~0.5-1 μm) of shark dentine bioapatites with biphasic composition: apatitic (hydroxyapatite and apatite-(CaF)), non-apatitic (whitlockite), and an apatitic phase (fluorapatite), organized in oriented crystals in enameloid bioapatites. An evaluation of the pre-osteoblast MC3T3-E1 morphology revealed the colonization of pores in dentine bioapatites and an aligned cell growth in the oriented enameloid crystals. A higher proliferation (p  <  0.01) was detected at up to 21 d in both the shark bioapatites and synthetic biphasic graft with respect to the bovine mineralized matrix. Finally, the great potential of porous biphasic dentine bioapatites enriched with Mg and the aligned fluorapatite crystals of enameloid bioapatites in promoting greater osteogenic activity was confirmed with a significantly increased ALP synthesis (p  <  0.01) compared to the commercial grafts.

Biomineralization of marine-patterned C-scaffolds

Patterned surfaces of marine-derived carbon scaffolds were subjected to a biomimetic approach to be covered with a calcium phosphate thin film. The process was based on Dulbecco’s phosphate-buffered saline solution and investigated in different periods of immersion (from hours to days). A complete physicochemical characterization was performed to demonstrate the optimal calcium/phosphorus ratio, thickness and adherence to the substrate of these biomimetic calcium phosphate coatings, which still retained the naturally derived patterning. A chemical mechanism to explain the coating formation has been proposed and documented, based mainly on the presence of carboxylic groups on the C-scaffold surface, what promoted the anchorage of calcium ions at the first stage and the later binding of phosphate groups to calcium ions. The biological response of MC3T3-E1 preosteoblasts on the calcium phosphate–coated scaffolds was investigated to demonstrate the non-cytotoxicity, adequate morphology and spreading of cells after 7 d of culture, being this proliferation aligned, promoted by the patterning of the scaffold.

Key parameters in blood-surface interactions of 3D bioinspired ceramic materials

Direct contact of materials with blood components may trigger numerous processes which ultimately lead to hemolysis, clot formation and recruitment of inflammatory cells. In this study, the blood-surface interactions for two inert bioinspired ceramic scaffolds obtained from natural resources; biomorphic carbon and silicon carbides (bioSiC) from different origins have been studied. The response of the blood in contact with carbon is well known, however little has been identified on the influence of their 3D porous structure. Moreover, to our knowledge, there is no reference in the literature about the hemocompatibility of biomorphic silicon carbide as a porous scaffold. The experimental results showed the surface energy to be crucial to evaluate the hemocompatibility of a material however the surface topography and material porosity are also parameters to be considered. Surface roughness modifies clot formation whereas for protein adsorption total sample porosity seems to be the key parameter to be considered for hydrophilic materials (biomorphic silicon carbides), while the size of the pores determines the hemolytic response.

Suitability of Biomorphic Silicon Carbide Ceramics as Drug Delivery Systems against Bacterial Biofilms

The present work is aimed at getting a new insight into biomorphic silicon carbides (bioSiCs) as bone replacement materials. BioSiCs from a variety of precursors were produced, characterized, and loaded with a broad-spectrum antibiotic. The capacity of loaded bioSiCs for preventing and/or treating preformed S. aureus biofilms has been studied. The differences in precursor characteristics are maintained after the ceramic production process. All bioSiCs allow the loading process by capillarity, giving loaded materials with drug release profiles dependent on their microstructure. The amount of antibiotic released in liquid medium during the first six hours depends on bioSiC porosity, but it could exceed the minimum inhibitory concentration of Staphylococcus aureus, for all the materials studied, thus preventing the proliferation of bacteria. Differences in the external surface and the number and size of open external pores of bioSiCs contribute towards the variations in the effect against bacteria when experiments are carried out using solid media. The internal structure and surface properties of all the systems seem to facilitate the therapeutic activity of the antibiotic on the preformed biofilms, reducing the number of viable bacteria present in the biofilm compared to controls.

Theoretical study on the possible use of SiC microparticles as photothermal agents for the heating of bacteria

Gold nanoparticles exhibiting surface plasmon resonances have been considered as photothermal agents for the selective destruction of bacteria by visible to near-infrared radiation. Here, we consider theoretically the possible complementary use of sub-micron silicon carbide (SiC) particles as photothermal agents for the heating of bacteria by pulsed mid-infrared (MIR) radiation. A SiC microparticle can exhibit surface phonon resonances in the MIR. Similar to the effect of surface plasmon resonances in gold nanoparticles, this could lead to enhanced absorption at the resonant wavelength and strong heating of the microparticle locally. If the heating is sufficient, this might lead to damage of bacterial cells adjacent to SiC particles. We estimate the heating of sub-micron SiC particles in a water medium under various pulse lengths of radiation at wavelength 10.6 μm. Noting that SiC is being investigated as a biocompatible material that could be functionalized for biomedical applications, and that an appropriately roughened SiC surface could be expected to exhibit similar surface phonon resonances, we speculate that enhanced heating under MIR radiation may be useful for in vitro sterilization of such surfaces.