Bone defects due to trauma or disease have led to the need for biomaterials as substitutes for tissue regeneration and repair. Herein, we introduce a porous triphasic ceramic-coated hydroxyapatite scaffold (HASi) for such applications. Interestingly, in the degradation experiments with isotonic buffer, HASi showed a significant release of silica with the disappearance of the tricalcium phosphate phase. Furthermore, the material also exhibited cytocompatibility with cultured bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells of human origin. The material chemistry, together with the favorable cellular characteristics, indicates HASi as a promising candidate for critical-size bony defects, which still remains a formidable clinical challenge in the orthopedic scenario.
A. John, Dr. Manitha B. Nair, Varma, H. K., Bernhardt, A., and Gelinsky, M., “Biodegradation and Cytocompatibility Studies of a Triphasic Ceramic-Coated Porous Hydroxyapatite for Bone Substitute Applications”, International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology, vol. 5, pp. 11–19, 2008.