Dagnija Loča

Fabrication, Properties and Applications of Dense Hydroxyapatite: A Review

In the last five decades, there have been vast advances in the field of biomaterials, including ceramics, glasses, glass-ceramics and metal alloys. Dense and porous ceramics have been widely used for various biomedical applications. Current applications of bioceramics include bone grafts, spinal fusion, bone repairs, bone fillers, maxillofacial reconstruction, etc. Amongst the various calcium phosphate compositions, hydroxyapatite, which has a composition similar to human bone, has attracted wide interest. Much emphasis is given to tissue engineering, both in porous and dense ceramic forms. The current review focusses on the various applications of dense hydroxyapatite and other dense biomaterials on the aspects of transparency and the mechanical and electrical behavior. Prospective future applications, established along the aforesaid applications of hydroxyapatite, appear to be promising regarding bone bonding, advanced medical treatment methods, improvement of the mechanical strength of artificial bone grafts and better in vitro/in vivo methodologies to afford more particular outcomes.

Calcium phosphate bone cements for local vancomycin delivery

Among calcium phosphate biomaterials, calcium phosphate bone cements (CPCs) have attracted increased attention because of their ability of self-setting in vivo and injectability, opening the new opportunities for minimally invasive surgical procedures. However, any surgical procedure carries potential inflammation and bone infection risks, which could be prevented combining CPC with anti-inflammatory drugs, thus overcoming the disadvantages of systemic antibiotic therapy and controlling the initial burst and total release of active ingredient. Within the current study α-tricalcium phosphate based CPCs were prepared and it was found that decreasing the solid to liquid phase ratio from 1.89g/ml to 1.23g/ml, initial burst release of vancomycin within the first 24h increased from 40.0±2.1% up to 57.8±1.2% and intrinsic properties of CPC were changed. CPC modification with vancomycin loaded poly(lactic acid) (PLA) microcapsules decreased the initial burst release of drug down to 7.7±0.6%, while only 30.4±1.3% of drug was transferred into the dissolution medium within 43days, compared to pure vancomycin loaded CPC, where 100% drug release was observed already after 12days. During the current research a new approach was found in order to increase the drug bioavailability. Modification of CPC with novel PLA/vancomycin microcapsules loaded and coated with nanosized hydroxyapatite resulted in 85.3±3.1% of vancomycin release within 43days.

Strontium and strontium ranelate: Historical review of some of their functions

The review covers historical and last decades scientific literature on the biological and clinical role of strontium (Sr) and strontium ranelate (Sr RAN). It enrols the description of the main effects of Sr on supportive tissue, its proven and possible morphopathogenetical mechanisms and the interaction with the bone, and especially focuses on the Sr ability to inhibit osteoclasts and affect the programmed cell death. The main experimental and clinical experience regarding the Sr RAN influence in the treatment of osteoporosis and the search for correct doses is also highlighted. The review gives insight into the role of Sr/Sr RAN on stem cells, apoptosis, animal and clinical research.

Controlled release of local anesthetic from calcium phosphate bone cements.

Novel lidocaine containing calcium phosphate bone cements have been developed. Lidocaine release kinetics of these cements have been evaluated. Calcium phosphate cements have a great potential for local drug delivery. Release of local anesthetic, such as lidocaine, at the implant site can be useful for reducing pain immediately after implantation. In this work a local anesthetic - lidocaine hydrochloride - was incorporated into α-tricalcium phosphate cement. Lidocaine release profile was dependent on cement components used. All cements were characterized by an initial burst release, which can be correlated with cement pH values, followed by gradual drug release. Drug release continued for up to 6 days and was slower, if cement pH was higher. Addition of lidocaine hydrochloride accelerated setting and changed microstructure of the set cement.

Biodegradable Materials and Metallic Implants—A Review

Recent progress made in biomaterials and their clinical applications is well known. In the last five decades, great advances have been made in the field of biomaterials, including ceramics, glasses, polymers, composites, glass-ceramics and metal alloys. A variety of bioimplants are currently used in either one of the aforesaid forms. Some of these materials are designed to degrade or to be resorbed inside the body rather than removing the implant after its function is served. Many properties such as mechanical properties, non-toxicity, surface modification, degradation rate, biocompatibility, and corrosion rate and scaffold design are taken into consideration. The current review focuses on state-of-the-art biodegradable bioceramics, polymers, metal alloys and a few implants that employ bioresorbable/biodegradable materials. The essential functions, properties and their critical factors are discussed in detail, in addition to their challenges to be overcome.

Impact of sintering temperature on the phase composition and antibacterial properties of silver-doped hydroxyapatite

In the present study, the impact of sintering temperature on the phase composition and antibacterial properties of silver-doped hydroxyapatite (HAp/Ag) samples was investigated. HAp/Ag containing 0.2 and 1.2 % silver was prepared using a modified wet chemical precipitation method. The surface morphology and inner structure of the sintered samples were discussed. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies showed that, after the sintering process, HAp/Ag contained a silver oxide phase, which was not observed in raw materials. Phase composition changes at different sintering temperatures were studied, and it was found that silver oxide undergoes phase changes during the sintering process. In vitro antibacterial properties approved the excellent antimicrobial activity of HAp/Ag against the bacterial strains Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The HAp/Ag sample with 1.2 % silver content, sintered at 1150 °C, showed the highest antibacterial activity.

Porous Hydroxyapatite Bioceramic Scaffolds for Drug Delivery and Bone Regeneration

The conventional methods of supplying a patient with pharmacologic active substances suffer from being very poorly selective, so that damage can occurs to the healthy tissues and organs, different from the intended target. In addition, high drug doses can be required to achieve the desired effect. An alternative approach is based on the use of implantable delivery tools, able to release the active substance in a controlled way. In the current research local drug delivery devices containing 8mg of gentamicin sulphate were prepared using custom developed vacuum impregnation technique. In vitro dissolution tests showed that gentamicin release was sustained for 12h. In order to decrease gentamicin release rate, biopolymer coatings were applied and coating structure investigated. The results showed that gentamicin release can be sustained for more than 70h for poly(-caprolactone) coated calcium phosphate scaffolds. From poly lactic acid and polyvinyl alcohol coated scaffolds gentamicin was released within 20h and 50h, respectively.

Porous hydroxyapatite for drug delivery

The disadvantages of systemic drug therapy are that only a small fraction of any given dose actually reaches the surgical site, producing low-therapeutic tissue levels. An alternative approach is based on the use of implantable delivery tools, able to release the active substance in a controlled way. Biocompatibility, bioactivity, and osteoconductivity are the main driving forces of calcium phosphate biomaterials, promoting their application as bone substitutes. At the same time, multimodal porous structure and interconnectivity of pores make them promising candidates for site-specific drug delivery. The use of porous hydroxyapatite as a drug delivery system could result in a dual effect: the ability to interact with the bone tissues at the same time ensuring increased drug efficiency, controlled release, and site-specific delivery.

Bioceramic Hydroxyapatite Granules for Purification of Biotechnological Products

Sorption experiments of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on hydroxyapatite (HAp) ceramic granules, prepared at three temperatures 900°C, 1000°C and 1150°C were performed at room temperature 18,6 °C and phosphate buffer, pH 5,83; 6.38 and 7,39. Thermal treatment contributed to the decrease of bovine serum albumin immobilization indicating that sorption process depended on HAp ceramics specific surface area and pH values of phosphate buffer solution. However, it was confirmed that granule size was also an important parameter for bovine serum albumin adsorption. As a result of these experiments, the most appropriate adsorption conditions and phosphate buffer pH values influence on to BSA sorption were analyzed.

Synthesis of Strontium Substituted Hydroxyapatite through Different Precipitation Routes

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of precursor materials used in the synthesis on the Sr incorporation levels into the hydroxyapatite (HAp) lattice and to characterize the synthesis products. HAp powders containing various amounts of Sr were synthesized through three different precipitation routes. In all cases, the as-synthesized products were found to be pure HAp. However, atomic absorption spectrometry analysis showed that by reacting orthophosphoric acid with calcium hydroxide and strontium hydroxide, as well as by reacting diammonium hydrogen phosphate with calcium nitrate tetrahydrate and strontium nitrate a significant proportion of the Sr added, did not substitute into the HAp lattice. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the effect of substituting relatively high amounts (up to 3.69 ± 0.37 wt.%) of Sr into the HAp lattice was to decrease the cristallinity. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (nitrogen absorption) analysis showed that the incorporation of Sr reduced particle sizes of the precipitated HAp products. Contrary, scanning electron microscopy revealed that the incorporation of Sr increased length of the precipitated needle-like particles.