Background: Dermal fillers containing calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHA) are categorized as biostimulatory. However, differences in CaHA biomaterial likely affect the resultant induction of collagen synthesis, and variability in microsphere shape and size likely influences a patient’s immune response. This study compares 2 CaHA based fillers: one suspended in carboxymethylcellulose (denoted "CaHA/CMC"), and one crosslinked with 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether to hyaluronic acid (denoted "CaHA/HA").
Objective: To characterize CaHA/CMC and CaHA/HA fillers to stimulate in vitro collagen biosynthesis.
Methods: Physicochemical evaluations included G′ and extrusion force. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to characterize isolated CaHA microspheres and freeze-dried formulations. Collagen I and III expression were evaluated using immunofluorescence.
Results: CaHA/CMC showed higher G′ (P<0.001) and lower extrusion force (P=0.0003), with uniform polymeric-matrix interactions, compared with CaHA/HA. On SEM, isolated microspheres and freeze-dried CaHA/CMC showed round and smooth surfaced microspheres of similar size. Isolated microspheres and freeze-dried CaHA/HA showed nonhomogeneous, broken microspheres, of various sizes, with fragments embedded in the polymer matrix. Although both fillers induced collagen III expression, only CaHA/CMC induced longer-lasting collagen I expression, with increases of 123% (P=0.007) and 164% (P<0.0001) at 2 and 5 mg/mL, respectively, compared with control. CaHA/CMC also increased collagen I expression at equivalent CaHA microsphere concentrations at 2 (P=0.0052) and 5 mg/mL (P<0.0001), compared with CaHA/HA.
Conclusion: The physicochemical characteristics selected for evaluation were more favorable for CaHA/CMC than CaHA/HA. When compared with CaHA/HA, the smooth, homogeneous microsphere composition of CaHA/CMC promoted significantly more collagen I biosynthesis, an essential process for tissue augmentation and long-lasting aesthetic improvement. Citation: Kunzler C, Hartmann C, Nowag B, et al. Comparison of physicochemical characteristics and biostimulatory functions in two calcium hydroxyapatite-based dermal fillers. J Drugs Dermatol. 2023;22(9):910-916. doi:10.36849/JDD.7684.