Fabrication of Novel 3-D Nanocomposites of HAp–TiC–h-BN–ZrO₂: Enhanced Mechanical Performances and In Vivo Toxicity Study for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Due to excellent biocompatibility, bioactivities, and osteoconductivity, hydroxyapatite (HAp) is considered as one of the most suitable biomaterials for numerous biomedical applications. Herein, HAp was fabricated using a bottom-up approach, i.e., a wet chemical method, and its composites with TiC, h-BN, and ZrO 2 were fabricated by a solidstate reaction method with enhanced mechanical and biological performances. Structural, surface morphology, and mechanical behavior of the fabricated composites were characterized using various characterization techniques. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy study revealed a randomly oriented rod-like morphology, with the length and width of these nanorods ranging from 78 to 122 and from 9 to 13 nm. Moreover, the mechanical characterizations of the composite HZBT4 (80HAp−10TiC−5h-BN−5ZrO 2 ) reveal a very high compressive strength (246 MPa), which is comparable to that of the steel (250 MPa), fracture toughness (14.78 MPa m 1/2 ), and Young's modulus (1.02 GPa). In order to check the biocompatibility of the composites, numerous biological tests were also performed on different body organs of healthy adult Sprague-Dawley rats. This study suggests that the composite HZBT4 could not reveal any significant influence on the hematological, serum biochemical, and histopathological parameters. Hence, the fabricated composite can be used for several biological applications, such as bone implants, bone grafting, and bone regeneration.

In Vitro Osteo-Immunological Responses of Bioactive Calcium Phosphate-Containing Urethane Dimethacrylate-Based Composites: A Potential Alternative to Poly(methyl methacrylate) Bone Cement

“…HA also modulated inflammatory responses, depending on the characteristics of HA particles. , For example, nanosized and small microsized HA particles (<20 μm) significantly boosted pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion with a considerably reduced capacity to secrete interleukin (IL)-10, a potent anti-inflammatory cytokine, while larger microsized particles of approximately 100 μm allowed normal production of IL-10 . Moreover, HA-containing composites appeared immunologically inert and biocompatible, eliciting no significant alterations in hematological, serum biochemical, or histopathological parameters in vivo . It is thus possible that the incorporation of large HA microparticles into bone composites may induce new bone formation and provide an opportunity to fine-tune the host response by directing the initial pro-inflammatory immune response toward a bone regenerative microenvironment following implantation.…”