Stimulation of Bone Marrow Cells and Bone Formation by Nacre. In Vivo and in Vitro Studies

Nacre Compared to Aragonite as a Bone Substitute: Evaluation of Bioactivity and Biocompatibility

“…As previously stated, it was expected that the presence of the organic matrix in the untreated samples (nacre) would affect the response of the material in the different tests, relative to the thermically treated samples (aragonite) where the organic matrix is absent, due to the osteogenic properties inherent to the organic matrix 22 .…”

“…In mollusc shells, the aragonite and the protein matrix form a composite material (mineral matrix + organic matrix) called nacre. Taking into account that the mechanisms behind the construction of the different biomineralized tissues occur in similar fashion, it seems coherent to seek out materials that can substitute or induce the regeneration of bone tissue in other biomineralizing organisms, and this explains the attention given to corals and molluscs with shells 5,6,[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] . Thus, this work has sought, through the gathering and comparison of the characteristics of clinical interest, to find in the residues from malacoculture the potential for obtaining an industrial input of low ecological/economic impact.…”

“…Nacre and biogenic aragonite are two materials of 25 , without inflammation and/or fibrous formations. In vivo and in vitro studies indicate the nacre as a biocompatible, biodegradable and osteocondutive material, which may attract and activate bone marrow stem cells and osteoblasts; the same was observed in biogenic aragonite [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35] . The mechanical and tribological properties -as tensile, compression and bending strength, besides resistance to abrasion -of the nacre, comparatively better than that of pure aragonite, are due to its hierarchical structure of micrometric hexagonal tablets with mineral bridges and interlocking surfaces 36,[38][39][40][41][42] and cemented in organic matrix.…”

“…The mechanical and tribological properties -as tensile, compression and bending strength, besides resistance to abrasion -of the nacre, comparatively better than that of pure aragonite, are due to its hierarchical structure of micrometric hexagonal tablets with mineral bridges and interlocking surfaces 36,[38][39][40][41][42] and cemented in organic matrix. Considering that to this matrix are also attributed mineralizing and osteogenic properties 22,[30][31][32][33][34] , the hypothesis raised initially was that the nacre would present more pronounced osteogenic properties than the aragonite, disregarding this study any differences in the mechanical properties.…”

Gene Cloning and Biochemical Characterization of the BMP-2 ofPinctada fucata

“…The nacreous layer of the pearl oyster contains a diffusible factor that has osteogenic and osteoinductive properties. 45,46) It is probable that homologous proteins participate in the formation of nacreous layers and bone, although they differ evolutionarily. 47) One of the candidate proteins is BMP-2.…”