Bioceramics and scaffolds: a winning combination for tissue engineering

In the last few decades we have assisted to a general increase of elder population worldwide with associated age-related pathologies. Therefore, there is the need for new biomaterials that can substitute damaged tissues, stimulate the body’s own regenerative mechanisms and promote tissue healing. Porous templates referred to as scaffolds are thought to be required for three-dimensional tissue growth. Bioceramics, a special set of fully, partially or non-crystalline ceramics (e.g. calcium phosphates, bioactive glasses and glass-ceramics) that are designed for the repair and reconstruction of diseased parts of the body, have high potential as scaffold materials. Traditionally, bioceramics have been used to fill and restore bone and dental defects (repair of hard tissues). More recently, this category of biomaterials has also revealed promising applications in the field of soft tissue engineering. Starting with an overview of the fundamental requirements for tissue engineering scaffolds, this article provides a detailed picture on recent developments of porous bioceramics and composites, including a summary of common fabrication technologies and a critical analysis of structure-property and structure-function relationships. Areas of future research are highlighted at the end of this review, with special attention to the development of multifunctional scaffolds exploiting therapeutic ion/drug release and emerging applications beyond hard tissue repair

CFD modelling based X-ray microtomography reconstruction of lyophilized products

In this work, 3D non-destructive X-ray micro-CT tomography is used to analyze and reconstruct the internal structure of lyophilized samples, and CFD simulations for calculating their structural properties, i.e., porosity, pore diameter, tortuosity, and permeability

Spine-Ghost: A New Bioactive Cement for Vertebroplasty

An innovative, resorbable and injectable composite cement (Spine-Ghost) to be used for augmentation and restoration of fractured vertebrae was developed. Type III α-calcium sulfate hemihydrate (CSH) was selected as the bioresorbable matrix, while spray-dried mesoporous bioactive particles (SD-MBP, composition 80/20% mol SiO2/CaO), were added to impart high bioactive properties to the cement; a glass-ceramic containing zirconia was chosen as a second dispersed phase, in order to increase the radiopacity of the material. After mixing with water, an injectable paste was obtained. The developed cement proved to be mechanically compatible with healthy cancellous bone, resorbable and bioactive by soaking in simulated body fluid (SBF), cytocompatible through in-vitro cell cultures and it could be injected in ex-vivo sheep vertebra. Comparisons with a commercial control were carried out

Using porous bioceramic scaffolds to model healthy and osteoporotic bone

Bioceramics are clinically used as implantable materials to alleviate pain and restore function to diseased or damaged hard tissues in the body. Bone is especially vulnerable to deterioration and fracture in elderly people because of a loss of bone mass and strength with age (osteoporosis). The goal of this research work is to design and fabricate 3-D bioceramic scaffolds with different pore/strut features that can mimic the architecture of both healthy and osteoporotic bone. The scaffolds were fabricated by sponge replica method using a SiO2-P2O5-CaO-MgO-Na2O-K2O bioactive glass (CEL2) as starting material. Key processing parameters were systematically varied and their influence on the architectural and mechanical features of the scaffolds was assessed. Porosity-strength relationship was studied and modelled byusing the theory of cellular solid mechanics. These glass-ceramic scaffolds open new perspectives for bone regenerative approaches and could act as model substrates for a more accurate investigation of bone pathologie