Niobium-Doped Hydroxyapatite Bioceramics: Synthesis, Characterization and In Vitro Cytocompatibility

Enhanced Release of Calcium Ions from Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles with an Increase in Their Specific Surface Area

Synthetic calcium phosphates, e.g., hydroxyapatite (HAP) and tricalcium phosphate (TCP), are the most commonly used bone-graft materials due to their high chemical similarity to the natural hydroxyapatite-the inorganic component of bones. Calcium in the form of a free ion or bound complexes plays a key role in many biological functions, including bone regeneration. This paper explores the possibility of increasing the Ca2+-ion release from HAP nanoparticles (NPs) by reducing their size. Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were obtained through microwave hydrothermal synthesis. Particles with a specific surface area ranging from 51 m2/g to 240 m2/g and with sizes of 39, 29, 19, 11, 10, and 9 nm were used in the experiment. The structure of the nanomaterial was also studied by means of helium pycnometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission-electron microscopy (TEM). The calcium-ion release into phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was studied. The highest release of Ca2+ ions, i.e., 18 mg/L, was observed in HAP with a specific surface area 240 m2/g and an average nanoparticle size of 9 nm. A significant increase in Ca2+-ion release was also observed with specific surface areas of 183 m2/g and above, and with nanoparticle sizes of 11 nm and below. No substantial size dependence was observed for the larger particle sizes.

Spontaneous Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Tuna-Bone-Derived Hydroxyapatite Composites with Green Tea Polyphenol-Reduced Graphene Oxide

In recent years, bone tissue engineering (BTE) has made significant progress in promoting the direct and functional connection between bone and graft, including osseointegration and osteoconduction, to facilitate the healing of damaged bone tissues. Herein, we introduce a new, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective method for synthesizing reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and hydroxyapatite (HAp). The method uses epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG) as a reducing agent to synthesize rGO (E-rGO), and HAp powder is obtained from Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus). The physicochemical analysis indicated that the E-rGO/HAp composites had exceptional properties for use as BTE scaffolds, as well as high purity. Moreover, we discovered that E-rGO/HAp composites facilitated not only the proliferation, but also early and late osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). Our work suggests that E-rGO/HAp composites may play a significant role in promoting the spontaneous osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs, and we envision that E-rGO/HAp composites could serve as promising candidates for BTE scaffolds, stem-cell differentiation stimulators, and implantable device components because of their biocompatible and bioactive properties. Overall, we suggest a new approach for developing cost-effective and environmentally friendly E-rGO/HAp composite materials for BTE application.

Characterization of AZ31/HA Biodegradable Metal Matrix Composites Manufactured by Rapid Microwave Sintering

This study reports the development of magnesium alloy/hydroxyapatite-based biodegradable metal matrix composites (BMMCs) through rapid microwave sintering. Magnesium alloy (AZ31) and hydroxyapatite powder were used in four compositions 0, 10, 15 and 20% by weight. Developed BMMCs were characterized to evaluate physical, microstructural, mechanical and biodegradation characteristics. XRD results show Mg and HA as major phases and MgO as a minor phase. SEM results correlate with the XRD findings by identifying the presence of Mg, HA and MgO. The addition of HA powder particles reduced density and increased the microhardness of BMMCs. The compressive strength and Young's modulus increased with increasing HA up to 15 wt.%. AZ31-15HA exhibited the highest corrosion resistance and lowest relative weight loss in the immersion test for 24 h and weight gain after 72 and 168 h due to the deposition of Mg(OH)₂ and Ca(OH)₂ layers at the sample surface. XRD analysis of the AZ31-15HA sintered sample after an immersion test was carried out and these results revealed the presence of new phases Mg(OH)₂ and Ca(OH)₂ that could be the reason for enhancing the corrosion resistance. SEM elemental mapping result also confirmed the formation of Mg(OH)₂ and Ca(OH)₂ at the sample surface, which acted as protective layers and prevented the sample from further corrosion. It showed that the elements were uniformly distributed over the sample surface. In addition, these microwave-sintered BMMCs showed similar properties to the human cortical bone and help bone growth by depositing apatite layers at the surface of the sample. Furthermore, this apatite layer can enhance osteoblast formation due to the porous structure type, which was observed in the BMMCs. Therefore, it is indicative that developed BMMCs can be an artificial biodegradable composite for orthopedic applications.

Bioactive glasses incorporating less-common ions to improve biological and physical properties

Bioactive glasses (BGs) have been a focus of research for over five decades for several biomedical applications. Although their use in bone substitution and bone tissue regeneration has gained important attention, recent developments have also seen the expansion of BG applications to the field of soft tissue engineering. Hard and soft tissue repair therapies can benefit from the biological activity of metallic ions released from BGs. These metallic ions are incorporated in the BG network not only for their biological therapeutic effects but also in many cases for influencing the structure and processability of the glass and to impart extra functional properties. The "classical" elements in silicate BG compositions are silicon (Si), phosphorous (P), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), and potassium (K). In addition, other well-recognized biologically active ions have been incorporated in BGs to provide osteogenic, angiogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial effects such as zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), silver (Ag), strontium (Sr), gallium (Ga), fluorine (F), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), boron (B), lithium (Li), titanium (Ti), and copper (Cu). More recently, rare earth and other elements considered less common or, some of them, even "exotic" for biomedical applications, have found room as doping elements in BGs to enhance their biological and physical properties. For example, barium (Ba), bismuth (Bi), chlorine (Cl), chromium (Cr), dysprosium (Dy), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), ytterbium (Yb), thulium (Tm), germanium (Ge), gold (Au), holmium (Ho), iodine (I), lanthanum (La), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), niobium (Nb), nitrogen (N), palladium (Pd), rubidium (Rb), samarium (Sm), selenium (Se), tantalum (Ta), tellurium (Te), terbium (Tb), erbium (Er), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), vanadium (V), yttrium (Y) as well as zirconium (Zr) have been included in BGs. These ions have been found to be particularly interesting for enhancing the biological performance of doped BGs in novel compositions for tissue repair (both hard and soft tissue) and for providing, in some cases, extra functionalities to the BG, for example fluorescence, luminescence, radiation shielding, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. This review summarizes the influence of incorporating such less-common elements in BGs with focus on tissue engineering applications, usually exploiting the bioactivity of the BG in combination with other functional properties imparted by the presence of the added elements.

Mechanism of Nanostructured Fluorapatite Formation from CaO, CaF2 and P2O5 Precursors by Mechanochemical Synthesis

We determined the mechanism of mechanochemical synthesis of fluorapatite from CaO, CaF2 and P2O5 by characterisation of the intermediate compounds. We used atomic absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, FTIR spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy to find the transitional compounds. Investigation of the binary and ternary powder mixtures revealed the appearance of H3PO4, Ca(OH)2, Ca2P2O7 and CaCO3 as the intermediate compounds. At early stages of the milling, conversions of P2O5 to H3PO4 and CaO to Ca(OH)2 occurred in the wet atmosphere. Later, a combination of Ca(OH)2 and H3PO4 formed C a2P2O7 while the unreacted CaO was converted to CaCO3 by CO2 of the ambient atmosphere. Spherical crystalline Ca10 (PO4)6F2 particles formed after 48 hours of milling due to the reaction between Ca2P2O7, CaCO3 and CaF2.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Graphene-Reinforced Titanium Matrix/Nano-Hydroxyapatite Nanocomposites

Biomaterial composites made of titanium and hydroxyapatite (HA) powder are among the most important biomedicalmaterials due to their good mechanical properties and biocompatibility. In this work, graphene-reinforced titanium matrix/nano-hydroxyapatite nanocomposites were prepared by vacuum hot-pressing sintering. The microstructure and mechanical properties of graphene-reinforced titanium matrix/nano-hydroxyapatite nanocomposites with different graphene content were systematically investigated. Microstructures of the nanocomposites were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), back scattered electron imaging (BSE), scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The mechanical properties were determined from microhardness, shear strength, and compressive strength. Results showed that during the high-temperature sintering process, complex chemical reactions occurred, resulting in new phases of nucleation such as Ca₃(PO₄)₂, Ti_xP_y, and Ti₃O.The new phases, which easily dropped off under the action of external force, could hinder the densification of sintering and increase the brittleness of the nanocomposites. Results demonstrated that graphene had an impact on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites. Based on the mechanical properties and microstructure of the nanocomposites, the strengthening and fracture mechanisms of the graphene-reinforced titanium matrix/nano-hydroxyapatite nanocomposites with different graphene content were analyzed.

Novel and facile microwave-assisted synthesis of Mo-doped hydroxyapatite nanorods: Characterization, gamma absorption coefficient, and bioactivity

In the current work, the authors report the microwave-assisted synthesis Molybdenum-doped (from 0.05 to 5wt%) hydroxyapatite (HAp) for the first time. The morphology of Mo-doped HAp is nanorods of diameter in the range of 25-70nm and length in the range of 25nm to 200nm. The good crystalline nature was confirmed from X-ray diffraction patterns and also lattice parameters, grain size, strain and dislocation density were determined. The crystallite size was found to be in the range 16 to 30nm and crystallinity was found to be enhanced from 0.5 to 0.7 with doping. The field emission SEM micrographs show that the morphology of the synthesized nanostructures of pure and Mo-doped HAp are nanorods of few nanometers. The vibrational modes were identified using the FT-Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy. The dielectric properties were studied and the AC electrical conductivity was found to be increased with increasing the concentration of Mo ions doping in HAp. Moreover, antimicrobial studies were also carried out to understand the anti-bacterial and anti-fungi properties. The results suggest that it may be a good bio-ceramics material for bio-medical applications. Mo-doped HAp was subjected to the gamma irradiation produced from Cs-137 (662keV) and its related parameters such as linear absorption coefficient, the half-value layer (HVL) and the tenth value layer TVL were calculated and analyzed.

The deposition of strontium and zinc Co-substituted hydroxyapatite coatings

The in vitro and in vivo performance of hydroxyapatite (HAp) coatings can be modified by the addition of different trace ions, such as silicon (Si), lithium (Li), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn) or strontium (Sr) into the HAp lattice, to more closely mirror the complex chemistry of human bone. To date, most of the work in the literature has considered single ion-substituted materials and coatings, with limited reports on co-substituted calcium phosphate systems. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of radio frequency magnetron sputtering to deposit Sr and Zn co-substituted HAp coatings using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The FTIR and XPS results highlight that all of the Sr, Zn and Sr-Zn co-substituted surfaces produced are all dehydroxylated and are calcium deficient. All of the coatings contained HPO₄^2- groups, however; only the pure HAp coating and the Sr substituted HAp coating contained additional CO₃^2- groups. The XRD results highlight that none of the coatings produced in this study contain any other impurity CaP phases, showing peaks corresponding to that of ICDD file #01-072-1243 for HAp, albeit shifted to lower 2θ values due to the incorporation of Sr into the HAp lattice for Ca (in the Sr and Sr-Zn co-substituted surfaces only). Therefore, the results here clearly show that RF magnetron sputtering offers a simple means to deliver Sr and Zn co-substituted HAp coatings with enhanced surface properties. (a) XRD patterns for RF magnetron sputter deposited hydroxyapatite coatings and (b)-(d) for Sr, Zn and Sr-Zn co-substituted coatings, respectively. The XPS spectra in (b) confirms the presence of a HA sputter deposited coating as opposed to

Evidence of preserved collagen in an Early Jurassic sauropodomorph dinosaur revealed by synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopy

Fossilized organic remains are important sources of information because they provide a unique form of biological and evolutionary information, and have the long-term potential for genomic explorations. Here we report evidence of protein preservation in a terrestrial vertebrate found inside the vascular canals of a rib of a 195-million-year-old sauropodomorph dinosaur, where blood vessels and nerves would normally have been present in the living organism. The in situ synchrotron radiation-based Fourier transform infrared (SR-FTIR) spectra exhibit the characteristic infrared absorption bands for amide A and B, amide I, II and III of collagen. Aggregated haematite particles (α-Fe2O3) about 6∼8 μm in diameter are also identified inside the vascular canals using confocal Raman microscopy, where the organic remains were preserved. We propose that these particles likely had a crucial role in the preservation of the proteins, and may be remnants partially contributed from haemoglobin and other iron-rich proteins from the original blood.

Identification of Specific Hydroxyapatite {001} Binding Heptapeptide by Phage Display and Its Nucleation Effect

With recent developments of molecular biomimetics that combine genetic engineering and nanotechnology, peptides can be genetically engineered to bind specifically to inorganic components and execute the task of collagen matrix proteins. In this study, using biogenous tooth enamel as binding substrate, we identified a new heptapeptide (enamel high-affinity binding peptide, EHBP) from linear 7-mer peptide phage display library. Through the output/input affinity test, it was found that EHBP has the highest affinity to enamel with an output/input ratio of 14.814 × 10⁻⁷, while a random peptide (RP) displayed much lower output/input ratio of 0.00035 × 10⁻⁷. This binding affinity was also verified by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) analysis. It was found that EHBP absorbing onto the enamel surface exhibits highest normalized fluorescence intensity (5.6 ± 1.2), comparing to the intensity of EHBP to enamel longitudinal section (1.5 ± 0.9) (p < 0.05) as well as to the intensity of a low-affinity binding peptide (ELBP) to enamel (1.5 ± 0.5) (p < 0.05). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Attenuated total Reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) studies further confirmed that crystallized hydroxyapatite were precipitated in the mineralization solution containing EHBP. To better understand the nucleation effect of EHBP, EHBP was further investigated on its interaction with calcium phosphate clusters through in vitro mineralization model. The calcium and phosphate ion consumption as well as zeta potential survey revealed that EHBP might previously adsorb to phosphate (PO₄³⁻) groups and then initiate the precipitation of calcium and phosphate groups. This study not only proved the electrostatic interaction of phosphate group and the genetically engineering solid-binding peptide, but also provided a novel nucleation motif for potential applications in guided hard tissue biomineralization and regeneration.

Chitosan and carboxymethyl-chitosan capping ligands: Effects on the nucleation and growth of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles for producing biocomposite membranes

Synthetic biomaterials based on calcium phosphates (CaP) have been widely studied for bone tissue reconstruction therapies, but no definitive solution that fulfills all of the required properties has been identified. Thus, this study reports the synthesis of composite membranes based on nanohydroxyapatite particles (nHA) embedded in chitosan (CHI) and O-carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) matrices produced using a one-step co-precipitation method in water media. Biopolymers were used as capping ligands for simultaneously controlling the nucleation and growth of the nHA particles during the precipitation process and also to form the polymeric network of the biocomposites. The bionanocomposites were extensively characterized using light microscopy (LM), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray micro-CT analysis (μCT), andMTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide) cell proliferation assays for cell cytotoxicity. The results demonstrated that the ligands used during the synthesis highly affected the composites produced, primarily due the changes in the mechanisms and kinetics of nucleation and growth of the HA particles at the nanoscale level. The SEMimages revealed that the use of carboxyl-functionalized chitosan (CMC) ligands significantly reduced the average size of theHA nanoparticles and caused the formation of a narrower size distribution (90±20nm) compared to theHAnanoparticles producedwith chitosan ligands (220±50nm). The same trend was verified by the AFM analysis,where the nHA particles were formed evenly dispersed in the polymer matrix. However, the CMC-based composites were more homogeneously distributed, which was endorsed by the images collected via X-ray micro-CT. The FTIR spectra and the XRD analysis indicated that nanosized hydroxyapatite was the predominant calcium phosphate phase produced during the co-precipitation aqueous process for both the chitosan and CMC biocomposites. These novel hybrid systems based on chitosan and chitosan-derivatives with nHA composites were non-cytotoxic to a human osteoblast-like model cell line (SAOS) according to MTT in vitro assays. Moreover, the CMC-nHA biocomposites revealed a striking improvement in the cell viability response compared to the CHI-nHA biocomposite, which was attributed to the much higher surface area caused by the refinement of the nanoparticles size. Thus, the results of this study demonstrate that these novel bionanocomposite membranes offer promising perspectives as biomaterials for potential repair and replacement of cartilage and bone tissues.