Design of Laser Activated Antimicrobial Porous Tricalcium Phosphate-Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds for Orthopedic Applications.

The field of bone tissue engineering is steadily being improved by novel experimental approaches. Nevertheless, microbial adhesion after scaffold implantation remains a limitation that could lead to the impairment of the regeneration process, or scaffold rejection. The present study introduces a methodology that employs laser-based strategies for the development of antimicrobial interfaces on tricalcium phosphate-hydroxyapatite (TCP-HA) scaffolds.

Improvement of Metal-Doped β-TCP Scaffolds for Active Bone Substitutes via Ultra-Short Laser Structuring.

Various efforts have been made to develop antibacterial biomaterials capable of also sustaining bone remodulation to be used as bone substitutes and reduce patient infection rates and related costs. In this work, beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) was chosen due to its known biocompatibility and use as a bone substitute. Metal dopants were incorporated into the crystal structure of the β-TCP, and disks were produced from this material.

Bone-like ceramic scaffolds designed with bioinspired porosity induce a different stem cell response.

Biomaterial science increasingly seeks more biomimetic scaffolds that functionally augment the native bone tissue. In this paper, a new concept of a structural scaffold design is presented where the physiological multi-scale architecture is fully incorporated in a single-scaffold solution. Hydroxyapatite (HA) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) bioceramic scaffolds with different bioinspired porosity, mimicking the spongy and cortical bone tissue, were studied.

Micropatterning of beta tricalcium phosphate bioceramic surfaces, by femtosecond laser, for bone marrow stem cells behavior assessment.

The bioactivity of synthetic bone implants is highly impacted by their surface topography, especially by the presence of micro-patterns likely to generate cells growth guidance. In this study, laser machining technology was employed in order to produce controlled regular micro-patterns on dense calcium phosphate surfaces, without any contamination. The choice of the source was directed towards a femtosecond pulsed laser in order to limit the thermal impact of such a process and thus to avoid the unwanted phase transformations potentially induced by the temperature elevation.

Crosslinking chemistry of poly(vinylmethyl-co-methyl)silazanes toward low-temperature formable preceramic polymers as precursors of functional aluminium-modified Si-C-N ceramics.

Crosslinking chemistry of a liquid poly(vinylmethyl-co-methyl)silazane with an alane hydride-based complex according to Si : Al ratios varying from 5 to 2.5 has been investigated in detail through the characterization of the as-obtained polymers using solid-state NMR, FT-IR and elemental analyses. This reaction allows tailoring the chemical and physical properties of the neat liquid polysilazane while extending its processability to lead to a series of low-temperature formable aluminium-modified polysilazanes.

Mechanical properties, structure, bioactivity and cytotoxicity of bioactive Na-Ca-Si-P-O-(N) glasses.

Bioactive glasses are able to bond to bone through formation of carbonated hydroxyapatite in body fluids. However, because of their poor strength their use is restricted to non-load-bearing applications. The effects of nitrogen addition on the physical and mechanical properties and structure of bioactive oxynitride glasses in the system Na-Ca-Si-P-O-N have been studied.

Effect of nitrogen and fluorine on mechanical properties and bioactivity in two series of bioactive glasses.

Bioactive glasses are able to bond to bone through formation of carbonated hydroxyapatite in body fluids, and fluoride-releasing bioactive glasses are of interest for both orthopaedic and, in particular, dental applications for caries inhibition. However, because of their poor strength their use is restricted to non-load-bearing applications. In order to increase their mechanical properties, doping with nitrogen has been performed on two series of bioactive glasses: series (I) was a "bioglass" composition (without P2O5) within the quaternary system SiO2-Na2O-CaO-Si3N4 and series (II) was a simple substitution of CaF2 for CaO in series (I) glasses keeping the Na:Ca ratio constant.

Development of superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic polyester fabric by growing zinc oxide nanorods.

ZnO nanorods were grown on microfibers of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabric by seeding method to develop hierarchical roughness structure. XRD and XPS analysis show the presence of crystalline ZnO and chemical Zn species at the fiber surface at each stage of the process. Five series of samples with different seed concentrations have been realized, and their surface morphology and topography were characterized by AFM and SEM.

New antibacterial microporous CaP materials loaded with phages for prophylactic treatment in bone surgery.

Hydroxyapatite and beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) are materials commonly used in bone repair. The most important problem occurring in bone repair surgery is bacterial infection which is usually overcome by treatment with antibiotics. Currently, emergence of multidrug resistant strains has led to development of alternative treatments such as phage therapy.