Enhance the biocompatibility and osseointegration of polyethylene terephthalate ligament by plasma spraying with hydroxyapatite in vitro and in vivo

Abstract

PurposeThis study was designed to evaluate the biocompatibility and osseointegration of polyethylene terephthalate ligament after coating with hydroxyapatite (PET/HA) by using the plasma spraying technique in vitro and in vivo.MethodsIn this study, PET/HA sheets were prepared by using the plasma spraying technique. The characterization, the viability of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), and the mRNA expression of bone formation-related genes were evaluated in vitro. The osseointegration in vivo was investigated in the rabbit anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction model by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) analysis, histological evaluation, and biomechanical tests.ResultsScanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that the surface of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) becomes rough after spraying with hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles, and the water contact angle was 75.4°±10.4° in the PET/HA-plasma group compared to 105.3°±10.9° in the control group (p<0.05). The cell counting kit-8 counting results showed that the number of BMSCs significantly increased in the PET/HA-plasma group (p<0.05). Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results showed that there was an upregulated mRNA expression of bone formation-related genes in the PET/HA-plasma group (p<0.05). Micro-CT results showed that the transactional area of tibial tunnels and femoral tunnels was smaller in the PET/HA-plasma group (p<0.05). The histological evaluation scores of the PET/HA-plasma group were significantly superior to those of the PET control group at 8 and 12 weeks (p<0.05). The biomechanical tests showed an increased maximum load to failure and stiffness in the PET/HA-plasma group compared to those in the control group at 8 and 12 weeks.ConclusionBoth in vitro and in vivo results demonstrated in this study suggest that the biocompatibility and osseointegration of PET/HA ligament were significantly improved by increasing the proliferation of cells and upregulating the expression of bone formation-related genes. In a word, the PET/HA-plasma ligament is a promising candidate for ACL reconstruction in future.

<p>Encapsulation of a nanoporous simvastatin-chitosan composite to enhance osteointegration of hydroxyapatite-coated polyethylene terephthalate ligaments</p>

“…Much of the literature has attributed these poor outcomes to the hydrophobic and smooth surface 26. Indeed, several studies have demonstrated that compared to their smooth counterparts, plasma-sprayed HA-coated PET or other polymer materials gain improved hydrophilicity and osteointegration 10,11,27. Both HA and CS are known as hydrophilic materials, suggesting that the composite coating of HA and CS could synergistically alleviate the hydrophobic properties of PET ligaments.…”

“…PET sheets were purchased from Ligatech (Shanghai, China). PET sheets were coated with hydroxyapatite (HA) by using the plasma spraying technique according to the previous protocol 11. 1% (w/v) CS solution (75–85% deacetylated, mole weight 310,000–375,000 d; Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, Missouri, USA) in 2% (v/v) aqueous solution of glacial acetic acid was prepared.…”

“…Recently, with the development of low-energy plasma spraying technology, titanium (Ti) or HA was successfully coated on polyether-ether-ketone scaffolds without affecting their composition or crystallinity and showed improvement in biocompatibility and osteogenesis 8–10. In addition, in our previous study, PET ligaments coated with plasma-sprayed HA showed an increase in cell proliferation, peri-tunnel bone formation and maximum load to failure 11. Therefore, plasma-sprayed HA coating should be an excellent solution for improving the biocompatibility and osteoconductivity of PET ligaments.…”

Electrodeposition of calcium phosphate onto polyethylene terephthalate artificial ligament enhances graft-bone integration after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

“…Among them, calcium-phosphate (CaP) is characterized by excellent osteoinductivity and biocompatibility and has been applied to enhance bone ingrowth across the interface between graft and host bone. However, according to the histological findings of the previous studies [ 17 , 19 , 20 ], there was still fibrous scar tissue band instead of fibrocartilage structure at the graft−bone interface, which was far from the result of an ideal reconstruction. Some technical factors, such as the amount and homogeneity of the CaP coating, remained unknown, which may be associated with the imperfect results.…”

“…In recent years, surface modification has been applied to PET in order to improve its biological performance and to further enhance the integration between PET and host bone [ 15 ]. Previous studies have used various bioactive substances such as graphene, CaP and bioactive glass for surface modification on PET [ [16] , [17] , [18] ]. Among them, calcium-phosphate (CaP) is characterized by excellent osteoinductivity and biocompatibility and has been applied to enhance bone ingrowth across the interface between graft and host bone.…”