Boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond (BDD) electrodes have recently attracted attention as materials for neural electrodes due to their superior physical and electrochemical properties, however their biocompatibility remains largely unexplored. In this work, we aim to investigate the in vivo biocompatibility of BDD electrodes in relation to conventional titanium nitride (TiN) electrodes using a rat subcutaneous implantation model. High quality BDD films were synthesized on electrodes intended for use as an implantable neurostimulation device. After implantation for 2 and 4 weeks, tissue sections adjacent to the electrodes were obtained for histological analysis. Both types of implants were contained in a thin fibrous encapsulation layer, the thickness of which decreased with time. Although the level of neovascularization around the implants was similar, BDD electrodes elicited significantly thinner fibrous capsules and a milder inflammatory reaction at both time points. These results suggest that BDD films may constitute an appropriate material to support stable performance of implantable neural electrodes over time.
Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are polypeptides that control the proliferation and differentiation of various cell types including osteoblasts. FGFs are also strong inducers of angiogenesis, necessary to obtain oxygen and nutrients during tissue repair. With the aim to incorporate these desirable FGF biological properties into bioceramics for bone repair, silicon substituted hydroxyapatites (Si-HA) were used as materials to immobilize bioactive FGF-1 and FGF-2. Thus, the binding of these growth factors to powdered Si-HA and Si-HA scaffolds was carried out efficiently in the present study and both FGFs maintained its biological activity on osteoblasts after its immobilization. The improvement of cell adhesion and proliferation onto Si-HA scaffolds suggests the potential utility of these FGF/scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.
Biphasic calcium phosphate, a mixture of hydroxyapatite (HA) and beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP), has been successfully used as an excellent bone graft substitute because of the HA capacity for direct interaction with bone and the beta-TCP resorption properties. Agarose has been recently mixtured with ceramics as natural biodegradable binder to increase the biomaterial flexibility facilitating its placement into the bone defect. In this study, the behavior of L929 fibroblasts and Saos-2 osteoblasts cultured on hydroxyapatite-betaTCP/agarose disks has been evaluated. Both cell types adhere and proliferate on the biomaterial surface maintaining their characteristic morphology. Transitory changes on cell cycle, size, and complexity are observed. The biomaterial induces apoptosis in Saos-2 osteoblasts but not in fibroblasts. A transitory stimulation of fibroblast mitochondrial activity is observed. This effect remains in osteoblasts after 9 days of culture showing a higher sensitivity of this cell type. However, the intracellular reactive oxygen species content and the lactate dehydrogenase release of Saos-2 osteoblasts indicate that hydroxyapatite-betaTCP/agarose does not induce oxidative stress in this cell type and confirm the integrity of the osteoblast plasma membrane. These results underline the good biocompatibility of hydroxyapatite-betaTCP/agarose disks and its potential utility for bone substitution and repair.
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