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The objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of silicon carbide (SiC) foam as an alternative material for porous hydroxyapatite (HA). The characters of two materials were evaluated and compared by a series of in vitro biological tests. The result of the morphology showed that SiC foam provided beneficial structure for cell migration. On the level of primary-osteoblasts proliferation measured by MTT assay and cell cycle analysis showed that the proliferation rate increased in the early stage on HA but in the advanced stage on SiC foam. There was no significant difference between the two materials on the level of cell differentiation detected by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay and real-time PCR. All of the results indicated that SiC foam was comparable to HA in terms of biocompatibility and bone conductivity.

Background: This study aimed to analyze the bioactivity and biocompatibility of silicon carbide (SiC) foam coated with one of two kinds of zeolite. Methods: The surface charges, protein adsorption ability and mineralization ability were compared between silicalite-1/SiC foam and ZSM-5/SiC foam. Results: Proliferation and differentiation of primary osteoblasts seeded on two types of materials were significantly higher when compared with uncoated SiC foam after 7 d. There was no significant difference in the bioactivity between silicalite-1/SiC foam and ZSM-5/SiC foam. Silicalite-1/SiC foam and ZSM-5/SiC foam had no cytotoxic effect on primary osteoblasts. Conclusions: These results suggest both silicalite-1/SiC foam and ZSM-5/SiC foam have the potential for use as novel bone replacement materials.