Condensed calcium phosphates for soft tissue and bone repair/regeneration

摘要

Repair or regeneration of skeletal tissues, particularly bone and cartilage, remains an ongoing clinical challenge. This report describes the preliminary development and use of degradable condensed calcium phosphates (CCP) for augmenting repair and in some cases assisting in the regeneration of viable skeletal tissues. In this study, CCP glass was produced from calcined calcium phosphate monobasic monohydrate crystals {Ca(H_2PO_4)_2.H_2o} by quenching from the melt phase. Subsequent gravity sintering of sized powders resulted in porous crystalline CCP of controlled pore size and density. CCP rods (6 mm in length x 4 mm in diameter) placed in the distal femur of New Zealand white rabbits for up to 1 year demonstrated the ability of this material to support bone ingrowth, with degradation rates of the scaffold inversely proportional to particle size used for implant fabrication. In parallel cell culture studies, porous CCP disks of similar morphology were found to support the attachment of bovine articular chondrocytes. Within two weeks the cells formed a continuous layer of cartilagenous tissue which was anchored to the CCP, suggesting the potential of this construct for joint repair.