Silica gel has been reported to induce apatite nucleation on its surface in vitro and it can act as a stimulant that induces formation of chemical apatite (Ca-P) layers on the surfaces of bioactive glass-ceramics. In this study, apatite formation in response to and the bone-bonding behavior of silica gels implanted in the tibiae of mature rabbits were studied. Implants were made from three silica gels treated at 400, 800, and 1000 degrees C, and the effects of such heat treatment on the above parameters were investigated. The silica gel was made by hydrolysis and polycondensation of tetraethoxysilane in aqueous solution containing polyethylene glycol. Rectangular implants (15 mm x 10 mm x 2 mm) of each heat-treated silica gel were implanted into both tibial bones of mature male rabbits, which were killed 4 or 8 weeks after implantation, and the tibiae containing the implants were dissected out. The bone-implant interfaces were investigated using Giemsa surface staining, contact microradiography, scanning electron microscopy-electron probe microanalysis, and X-ray diffraction. Histologically, no bonding of bone to any of the silica gels was observed at any time postimplantation. Soft tissue was observed at the bone-silica gel interface, but there were no giant foreign body or inflammatory cells. A Ca-P-rich layer was observed only on small areas of the surfaces of the silica gels treated at 400 and 800 degrees C 4 and 8 weeks after implantation. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the presence of hydroxyapatite in these Ca-P-rich layers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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