Physicochemical properties and in vitro biocompatibility of a hydraulic calcium silicate/tricalcium aluminate cement for endodontic use

Effects of barium titanate on the dielectric constant, radiopacity, and biological properties of tricalcium silicate-based bioceramics

This study evaluated the effect of barium titanate (BT) on the dielectricity, radiopacity, and biological properties of tricalcium silicate (C3S). C3S/BT samples were prepared with varying proportions of BT (0, 20, 40, and 60 wt%; referred to as BT00, BT20, BT40, and BT60, respectively). Dielectric constant and radiopacity were measured. Cytocompatibility was evaluated on human dental pulp cells. After surgical procedures on rat mandible, immunohistochemistry and Masson's trichrome staining were performed. The dielectric constant increased with higher proportions of BT (p<0.05). BT40 and BT60 satisfied the clinical guideline of radiopacity. There were no significant differences among groups in the cytocompatibility tests (p>0.05). New bone was observed well, along with the expressions of the dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1), osteocalcin (OC), and osteonectin (ON) in BT40 and BT60. Conclusively, the contents of 40-60 wt% of BT in C3S provided proper radiopacity, favorable cytocompatibility, and beneficial effect on bone regeneration.

Effects of dodecacalcium hepta-aluminate content on the setting time, compressive strength, alkalinity, and cytocompatibility of tricalcium silicate cement

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dodecacalcium hepta-aluminate (C12A7) content on some physicochemical properties and cytocompatibility of tricalcium silicate (C3S) cement using human dental pulp cells (hDPCs).

Material and Methods

High purity C3S cement was manufactured by a solid phase method. C12A7 was mixed with the cement in proportions of 0, 5, 8, and 10 wt% (C12A7-0, −5, −8, and −10, respectively). Physicochemical properties including initial setting time, compressive strength, and alkalinity were evaluated. Cytocompatibility was assessed with cell viability tests and cell number counts. Statistical analysis was performed by using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's test (p<0.05).

Results

The initial setting time of C3S-based cement was shorter in the presence of C12A7 (p<0.05). After 1 day, C12A7-5 showed significantly higher compressive strength than the other groups (p<0.05). After 7 days, the compressive strength of C12A7-5 was similar to that of C12A7-0, whereas other groups showed strength lower than C12A7-0. The pH values of all tested groups showed no significant differences after 1 day (p>0.05). The C12A7-5 group showed similar cell viability to the C12A7-0 group (p>0.05), while the other experimental groups showed lower values compared to C12A7-0 group (p<0.05). The number of cells grown on the C12A7-5 specimen was higher than that on C12A7-8 and −10 (p<0.05).

Conclusions

The addition of C12A7 to C3S cement at a proportion of 5% resulted in rapid initial setting time and higher compressive strength with no adverse effects on cytocompatibility.

Systematic investigation of β-dicalcium silicate-based bone cements in vitro and in vivo in comparison with clinically applied calcium phosphate cement and Bio-Oss®

Herein we systematically investigated the biological performance of a β-dicalcium silicate (β-C₂S)-based bone cement in comparison with the clinically used calcium phosphate cement (CPC) and Bio-Oss®.

Novel tricalcium silicate/magnesium phosphate composite bone cement having high compressive strength, in vitro bioactivity and cytocompatibility

Although inorganic bone cements such as calcium phosphate cements have been widely applied in orthopaedic and dental fields because of their self-setting ability, development of high-strength bone cement with bioactivity and biodegradability remains a major challenge. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to prepare a tricalcium silicate/magnesium phosphate (C3S/MPC) composite bone cement, which is intended to combine the excellent bioactivity of C3S with remarkable self-setting properties and mechanical strength of MPC. The self-setting and mechanical properties, in vitro induction of apatite formation and degradation behaviour, and cytocompatibility of the composite cements were investigated. Our results showed that the C3S/MPC composite cement with an optimal composition had compressive strength up to 87 MPa, which was significantly higher than C3S (25 MPa) and MPC (64 MPa). The setting time could be adjusted between 3 min and 29 min with the variation of compositions. The hydraulic reaction products of the C3S/MPC composite cement were composed of calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) derived from the hydration of C3S and gel-like amorphous substance. The C3S/MPC composite cements could induce apatite mineralization on its surface in SBF solution and degraded gradually in Tris-HCl solution. Besides, the composite cements showed good cytocompatibility and stimulatory effect on the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cells. Our results indicated that the C3S/MPC composite bone cement might be a new promising high-strength inorganic bioactive material which may hold the potential for bone repair in load-bearing site.

Nanomaterials: the next step in injectable bone cements

Injectable bone cements (IBCs) are biocompatible materials that can be used as bone defect fillers in maxillofacial surgeries and in orthopedic fracture treatment in order to augment weakened bone due to osteoporosis. Current clinically available IBCs, such as polymethylmethacrylate and calcium phosphate cement, have certain advantages; however, they possess several drawbacks that prevent them from gaining universal acceptance. New gel-based injectable materials have also been developed, but these are too mechanically weak for load-bearing applications. Recent research has focused on improving various injectable materials using nanomaterials in order to render them suitable for bone tissue regeneration. This article outlines the requirements of IBCs, the advantages and limitations of currently available IBCs and the state-of-the-art developments that have demonstrated the effects of nanomaterials within injectable systems.

An evaluation of the inflammatory response of lipopolysaccharide-treated primary dental pulp cells with regard to calcium silicate-based cements

This study compared the biological changes of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated dental pulp (DP) cells directly cultured on mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and calcium silicate (CS) cements. DP cells were treated with LPS for 24 h. Then, the LPS-treated DP cells were cultured on MTA or CS cements. Cell viability, cell death mechanism and interleukin (IL)-1β expressions were analysed. A one-way analysis of variance was used to evaluate the significance of the differences between the means. A significantly higher IL-1β expression (2.9-fold) was found for LPS-treated cells (P<0.05) compared with DP cells without LPS treatment at 24 h. Absorbance values of LPS-treated cells cultured on CS cement were higher than a tissue culture plate. A significant difference (P<0.05) in cell viability was observed between cells on CS and MTA cements 24 h after seeding. At 48 h, a high concentration of Si (5 mM) was released from MTA, which induced LPS-treated DP cell apoptosis. The present study demonstrates that CS cement is biocompatible with cultured LPS-treated DP cells. MTA stimulates inflammation in LPS-treated DP cells, which leads to greater IL-1β expression and apoptosis.

A force field for tricalcium aluminate to characterize surface properties, initial hydration, and organically modified interfaces in atomic resolution

A force field for tricalcium aluminate is presented, validated, and applied to generate insight into surface forces, the hydration reaction, and molecular adsorption that remains elusive from experiment.

β-Dicalcium silicate-based cement: synthesis, characterization and in vitro bioactivity and biocompatibility studies

β-dicalcium silicate (β-Ca₂ SiO₄, β-C₂ S) is one of the main constituents in Portland cement clinker and many refractory materials, itself is a hydraulic cement that reacts with water or aqueous solution at room/body temperature to form a hydrated phase (C-S-H), which provides mechanical strength to the end product. In the present investigation, β-C₂ S was synthesized by sol-gel process and it was used as powder to cement preparation, named CSiC. In vitro bioactivity and biocompatibility studies were assessed by soaking the cement samples in simulated body fluid solutions and human osteoblast cell cultures for various time periods, respectively. The results showed that the sol-gel process is an available synthesis method in order to obtain a pure powder of β-C₂ S at relatively low temperatures without chemical stabilizers. A bone-like apatite layer covered the material surface after soaking in SBF and its compressive strength (CSiC cement) was comparable with that of the human trabecular bone. The extracts of this cement were not cytotoxic and the cell growth and relative cell viability were comparable to negative control.