We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing to browse this site you agree to our use of cookies. More info.

Your chance of breaking a bone sometime within the next year is nearly 4%. If you're unlucky enough to need a bone replacement, it'll probably be based on a metal part. Unfortunately, metal parts are sometimes toxic over time, and will not help your original bone regrow. Calcium phosphate ceramics-;substitutes for the bone mineral hydroxyapatite-;are in principle an ideal alternative to conventional metals because bone can eventually replace the ceramic and regrow. However, applications of such ceramics in medical settings have been limited by insufficient control over the rate of absorption and replacement by bone after implantation.

Now, in a study recently published in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, researchers from TMDU and collaborating partners have studied the effect of the carbon chain length of a phosphate ester ceramic containing calcium ion on the rate of its transformation into hydroxyapatite mediated by alkaline phosphatase which presents in our bones. This work will help move bone regeneration research from laboratories to medical use.

Medical professionals have long sought a means of healing bone fractures without using implanted medical devices, but the underlying science that can make this dream a reality isn't yet fully elaborated. Our careful analysis of the effect of the ceramic's ester alkyl chain length on hydroxyapatite formation, in a simulated body fluid, may help develop a novel bone-replacement biomaterial."

The researchers report two main findings. First, most of the studied ceramics underwent chemical transformations into particulate or fibrous hydroxyapatite within a few days. Second, smaller alkyl groups facilitated faster chemical reactions than larger alkyl groups. Because the rate-limiting step of hydroxyapatite formation is dissolution of the ceramic, the greater solubility imparted by smaller alkyl groups sped up production of hydroxyapatite. Such knowledge gives a means of tailoring the speed of bone regrowth.

"We now have specific chemical knowledge on how to tailor the rate of hydroxyapatite growth from calcium phosphate ceramics," says Yokoi. "We expect that this knowledge will be useful for bench researchers and medical practitioners to more effectively collaborate on tailoring bone reformation rates under medically relevant conditions."

The results of this study are important for healing bone fractures after surgery. By using chemical insights to optimize the rate of bone reformation after implantation of calcium phosphate ceramics, patient outcomes will improve, and returns to the hospital years later for further repairs will be minimized.

Tokyo Medical and Dental University

Yokoi, T., et al. (2022) Transformation behaviour of salts composed of calcium ions and phosphate esters with different linear alkyl chain structures in a simulated body fluid modified with alkaline phosphatase. Science and Technology of Advanced Materials. doi.org/10.1080/14686996.2022.2074801.

Posted in: Device / Technology News | Medical Science News

Tags: Bone, Calcium, Esters, Hospital, Hydroxyapatite, Ion, Medical Devices, Phosphatase, Research, Surgery

News-Medical speaks to Henry Fingerhut, Senior Policy Analyst for Science & Innovation at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, about genomic surveillance and its associated opportunities and challenges.

Dr. Chenqu Suo and Dr. Cecilia Domínguez Conde

In this interview, News-Medical speaks to two researchers each discussing their respective studies that have contributed to the Human Cell Atlas; Dr. Chenqu Suo and Dr. Cecilia Domínguez Conde from the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

Irene Walsh and Professor Claire Smith

In this interview, News Medical speak to Irene Walsh, the director of Product, Design & Content, and 3D4Medical at Elsevier, and Professor Claire Smith, Head of Anatomy at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, about the real-world applications of the Complete Anatomy female model, the most advanced full female anatomy model in the world.

News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance with these terms and conditions. Please note that medical information found on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide.

This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.

News-Medical.net - An AZoNetwork Site

Owned and operated by AZoNetwork, © 2000-2022