Calcination and ion substitution improve physicochemical and biological properties of nanohydroxyapatite for bone tissue engineering applications.

Nanohydroxyapatite (nanoHAP) is widely used in bone regeneration, but there is a need to enhance its properties to provide stimuli for cell commitment and osteoconduction. This study examines the effect of calcination at 1200 °C on the physicochemical and biological properties of nanoHAP doped with magnesium (Mg2+), strontium (Sr2+), and zinc (Zn2+). A synergistic effect of dual modification on nanoHAP biological properties was investigated. The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), BET analysis, Fourier-transform spectroscopy, and thermal analysis methods. Furthermore, ion release tests and in vitro biological characterization, including cytocompatibility, reactive oxygen species production, osteoconductive potential and cell proliferation, were performed. The XRD results indicate that the ion substitution of nanoHAP has no effect on the apatite structure, and after calcination, ß-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP) is formed as an additional phase. SEM analysis showed that calcination induces the agglomeration of particles and changes in surface morphology. A decrease in the specific surface area and in the ion release rate was observed. Combining calcination and nanoHAP ion modification is beneficial for cell proliferation and osteoblast response and provide additional stimuli for cell commitment in bone regeneration.

Effects of Sterilization and Hydrolytic Degradation on the Structure, Morphology and Compressive Strength of Polylactide-Hydroxyapatite Composites.

Composites based on polylactide (PLA) and hydroxyapatite (HA) were prepared using a thermally induced phase separation method. In the experimental design, the PLA with low weight-average molar mass (Mw) and high Mw were tested with the inclusion of HA synthesized as whiskers or hexagonal rods. In addition, the structure of HA whiskers was doped with Zn, whereas hexagonal rods were mixed with Sr salt. The composites were sterilized and then incubated in phosphate-buffered saline for 12 weeks at 37 °C, followed by characterization of pore size distribution, molecular properties, density and mechanical strength. Results showed a substantial reduction of PLA Mw for both polymers due to the preparation of composites, their sterilization and incubation. The distribution of pore size effectively increased after the degradation process, whereas the sterilization, furthermore, had an impact on pore size distribution depending on HA added. The inclusion of HA reduced to some extent the degradation of PLA quantitatively in the weight loss in vitro compared to the control without HA. All produced materials showed no cytotoxicity when validated against L929 mouse skin fibroblasts and hFOB 1.19 human osteoblasts. The lack of cytotoxicity was accompanied by the immunocompatibility with human monocytic cells that were able to detect pyrogenic contaminants.

The Synthesis of Hydroxyapatite by Hydrothermal Process with Calcium Lactate Pentahydrate: The Effect of Reagent Concentrations, pH, Temperature, and Pressure.

Hydroxyapatite and other calcium phosphates in the form of whiskers are lately widely considered as fillers for biocomposites due to their special biological and reinforcing properties. Depending on the method of synthesis, apatite whiskers of various sizes and phase composition can be obtained. In our work, hydroxyapatite (HAp) whiskers were successfully prepared in reaction between calcium lactate pentahydrate and orthophosphoric acid. The advantage of the proposed technique is the simple but precise control of the HAp crystal morphology and high product purity which is necessary for biomedical applications. The effect of reagent concentrations, pH, reaction temperature, and pressure on HAp whiskers' morphology and composition was investigated. In the result, we obtained hydroxyapatite of different morphology such as whiskers, hexagonal rods, and nanorods. The products were characterized by SEM, XRD, and FTIR. In this work, the synthesis of HAp whiskers by direct decomposition of calcium lactate pentahydrate chelates under hydrothermal conditions was showed for the first time.

Thermodynamic and structural study of tolfenamic acid polymorphs.

The article deals with the study of two polymorphic modifications in the space groups P2(1)/c (white form) and P2(1)/n (yellow form) of the tolfenamic acid. It also describes how the white form vapor pressure temperature dependence was determined by using the transpiration method and how thermodynamic parameters of the sublimation process were calculated. We have estimated the difference between the crystal lattice energies of the two polymorphic forms by solution calorimetry and found that the crystal lattice energy of the yellow form is 6.7+/-1.2 kJ mol(-1) higher than that of the white form, whereas Gibbs free energies of the forms obtained from the vapor pressure temperature dependence are practically the same. The modifications under consideration are monotropically related. From the practical point of view, the white form is more preferable due to its lower crystal lattice energy and better performing procedure. We have also studied the solubility, solvation and transfer processes of the tolfenamic acid white form in buffers (with various values of pH and ionic strengths), n-hexane and n-octanol. The thermodynamic parameters of the investigated processes have been discussed and compared with those determined for others fenamates. In the study we estimated specific and non-specific contributions of the solvation enthalpic term of the fenamate molecules with the solvents as well. The driving forces of the transfer processes from the buffers with pH 7.4 and different ionic strengths to n-octanol were analyzed. It was found that the relationship between the enthalpic and entropic terms depends essentially on the ionic strength. For the considered fenamates the transfer processes of the neutral molecules and the ionic forms are enthalpy-determined, whereas for the niflumic acid this process is entropy-determined.