Porous titanium and silicon-substituted hydroxyapatite biomodification prepared by a biomimetic process: characterization and in vivo evaluation

Acta Biomater. 2009 Jun;5(5):1732-41. doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2009.01.014. Epub 2009 Jan 22.

Abstract

Porous titanium with a pore size of 150-600 microm and a porosity of 67% was prepared by fiber sintering. The porous titanium had a complete three-dimensional (3D) interconnected structure and a high yield strength of 100 MPa. Si-substituted hydroxyapatite (Si-HA) was coated on the surface by a biomimetic process to improve the surface bioactivity. X-ray diffraction results showed that Si-HA coating was not well crystallized. New bone tissue was found in the uncoated porous titanium after 2 weeks of implantation and a significant increase (p<0.05) in the bone ingrowth rate (BIR) was found after 4 weeks of implantation, indicating the good osteoconductivity of the porous structure. The HA-coated and Si-HA-coated porous titanium exhibited a significantly higher BIR than the uncoated titanium at all intervals, highlighting the better surface bioactivity and osteoconductivity of the HA- and Si-HA coatings. Also, the Si-HA-coated porous titanium demonstrated a significantly higher BIR than the HA-coated porous titanium, showing that silicon plays an active role in the surface bioactivity. For Si-HA-coated porous titanium, up to 90% pore area was covered by new bone tissue after 4 weeks of implantation in cortical bone. In the bone marrow cavity, the pore spaces were filled with bone marrow, displaying that the interconnected pore structure could provide a channel for body fluid. It was concluded that both the 3D interconnected pore structure and the Si-HA coating contributed to the high BIR.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biomimetic Materials / chemical synthesis*
  • Biomimetics / methods*
  • Bone and Bones / diagnostic imaging
  • Bone and Bones / ultrastructure
  • Coated Materials, Biocompatible / chemistry
  • Durapatite / metabolism*
  • Implants, Experimental
  • Mechanical Phenomena
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Porosity
  • Rabbits
  • Radiography
  • Silicon / metabolism*
  • Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
  • Surface Properties
  • Titanium / metabolism*
  • X-Ray Diffraction

Substances

  • Coated Materials, Biocompatible
  • Durapatite
  • Titanium
  • Silicon