a b s t r a c tA large part of the scientific community has accepted the paradigm that a simulated body solution (SBF) can be used to test the bioactivity of a material. This is exemplified by the rapidly increasing number of publications using this test. The aim of this document is to demonstrate that (i) there is presently not enough scientific data to support this assumption, and (ii) even though the assumption was valid, the way the test is generally conducted leaves room for improvement. Theoretical arguments and facts supporting these statements are provided, together with possible improvements of the proposed bioactivity test.
This study was undertaken to understand the biodegradation mechanisms of calcium phosphate (Ca-P) biomaterials with different crystallization. Two types of sintered Ca-P porous ceramic (HA and beta-TCP) and a Ca-P bone cement (CPC) were implanted into cavities drilled in rabbit femoral and tibiae condyles. The results have shown that a material biodegradation was rapid in the beta-TCP and the CPC, but very weak in the HA. This biodegradation presented a decrease of material volume from the periphery to the center as well as a particle formation causing phagocytosis by numerous macrophages and multinucleated giant cells in the CPC. In the beta-TCP, there was a peripheral and central decrease of material volume as well as an absence of particle formation or visible phagocytosis. The process of biodegradation is considered to be directly influenced by the type of material crystallization. The sintered bioceramics processed at a high temperature exhibit good crystallization and are primarily degraded by a process dependent on interstitial liquids. However, the bone cement is formed by physicochemical crystallization and is degraded through a dissolution process associated with a cellular process.
Hard cylinders (4.7 x 10 mm) of two kinds of beta-tricalcium phosphate-monocalcium phosphate monohydrate-calcium sulfate hemihydrate (beta-TCP-MCPM-CSH) cements with and without beta-TCP granules (500-1000 microns) were implanted into holes drilled in rabbit femoral condyles for up to 16 weeks. Empty cavities were used as control. Cement resorption and new bone formation in the cylinders were evaluated with contact microradiography and quantified through an automatic image analysis system. At 4 weeks, both kinds of cement cylinders were surrounded by new bone. At 8 weeks, except for beta-TCP granules, both cement cylinders were almost completely resorbed and replaced by bone tissue. At 16 weeks the bone in the cavities of both cements recovered a trabecular pattern, but only the bone trabeculae in the initial cavity of the cement with beta-TCP granules became thick and mature. However, the cavities of the empty control were still empty and large. These results show that the beta-TCP-MCPM-CSH cements stimulate bone formation and are rapidly replaced by bone tissue. When added with nonresorbable beta-TCP granules, this cement maintains bone formation for a longer time.
Several additives were selected to increase the setting time of calcium phosphate cements made of β‐tricalcium phosphate (β‐TCP; β‐Ca3(PO4)2)‐phosphoric acid‐water mixtures. The effects of the additives, i.e., sulfate, pyrophosphate, and citrate ions, are presented in this study. The results show that they all increased the setting time of the cement. Their effectiveness at increasing the setting time is in the order pyrophosphate > citrate > sulfate. The effect of sulfate ions on the setting time is increasingly large below a concentration of 0.1M. Above that concentration, calcium sulfate dihydrate (CSD; CaSO4‐2H2O) crystals nucleate and act as nuclei for dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD; CaHPO4‐2H2O) crystals, which are the normal product of the setting reaction. This decreases the setting time and decreases the DCPD crystal size, resulting in an increase of the tensile strength of the cement.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.