Fabrication and histological evaluation of porous carbonate apatite blocks using disodium hydrogen phosphate crystals as a porogen and phosphatization accelerator.

The porous architecture of artificial bones plays a pivotal role in bone ingrowth. Although salt leaching methods produce predictable porous architectures, their application in the low-temperature fabrication of ceramics remains a challenge. Carbonate apatite (CO3 Ap) blocks with three ranges of pore sizes: 100-200, 200-400, and 400-600 µm, were fabricated from CaCO3 blocks with embedded Na2 HPO4 crystals as a porogen and accelerator for CaCO3 -to-CO3 Ap conversion. CaCO3 blocks were obtained from Ca(OH)2 compacts with Na2 HPO4 by CO2 flow at 100% humidity. When carbonated under 100% water humidity, the dissolution of Na2 HPO4 and the formation of hydroxyapatite were observed. Using 90% methanol and 10% water were beneficial in avoiding the Na2 HPO4 consumption and generating the metastable CaCO3 vaterite, which was rapidly converted into CO3 Ap in a Na2 HPO4 solution in 7 days. For the histological evaluation, the CO3 Ap blocks were implanted in rabbit femur defects. Four weeks after implantation, new bone was formed at the edges of the blocks. After 12 weeks, new bone was observed in the central areas of the material. Notably, CO3 Ap blocks with pore sizes of 100-200 µm were the most effective, exhibiting approximately 23% new bone area. This study sheds new light on the fabrication of tailored porous blocks and provides a useful guide for designing artificial bones.

Influence of pH and ion components in the liquid phase on the setting reaction of carbonate apatite granules.

Carbonate apatite (CO3Ap) is an inorganic component of bone and replaces by natural bone after implantation into the bone defect. Because of this unique characteristic, CO3Ap granules have been used in the dental field. However, washing out of granules from the bone defect area is an issue. The aim of this study was to set CO3Ap granules by mixing CO3Ap granules with acidic phosphate solutions and evaluate the influence of the pH and ion components of the solutions. When Na+ was the counter ion, the amount of precipitated dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD) was small and the setting ability disappeared with increasing pH of the solutions. Alternatively, when the counter ion was Ca2+, the amount of precipitated DCPD was high and the setting ability was observed even at high pH. These results suggest the presence of Ca2+ in the acidic phosphate solution is a key for fabricating CO3Ap granular cement.