SYNTHESIS, MECHANICAL AND STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF SOME NANOSTRUCTURED BONE SCAFFOLDS

Three new biodegradable and bioactive scaffolds based on hydroxyapatite (HAP), β tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) and a composite HAP+β-TCP are studied in this paper. Their mechanical, structural properties and long term behaviour in simulated body fluid (SBF) were analysed. Also, these scaffolds were subjected to in vitro evaluation of cell behaviour. The open porosity from 16.41% to 34.26% it resulted. The compression resistance (2-3 MPa) is very close to the cancellous bone. It resulted that simultaneously with the dissolution, on the surface of materials were deposited calcium and phosphorous ions, namely, these materials are favourable to the bone formation. The scaffold morphology showed a dense polycrystalline structure with cavities (porosity), junctions and interconnections that can facilitate the cell proliferation. SEM micrographs revealed that, after 2100 immersion hours in SBF, the scaffolds coated with a layer of micro-sized grains. The in vitro results proved that hFOB 1.19 cells are able to attach, migrate in the interior of scaffolds, proliferate, synthesize and extracellularly assemble ECM molecules