Biodegradable Hydrogel Beads Combined with Calcium Phosphate Bone Cement for Bone Repair: In Vitro and In Vivo Characterization

Abstract

This study evaluated the in vitro characterizations of biodegradable hydrogel beads with calcium phosphate bone cement (CPC). Commercial fast-setting CPC and hydrogel beads were compared with 25%-volume hydrogel in CPC (C/0.25) in vivo. The histological behaviors and absorption rates of CPC only, hydrogel beads, and hydrogel/CPC composite were measured and compared at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. The results indicated that the C/0.25 composite can be molded and does not disintegrate when immersed in the solution, but this delays the phase transition of the CPC into the product in the early reaction process. The osteoprogenitor D1 cell affinity of the C/0.25 composite was equally competitive with that of the CPC-only. Adding hydrogel beads to CPC did not inhibit cell proliferation as well as differentiation of osteoprogenitor cells. In vivo histological evaluations did not indicate any significant difference in the CPC-only, hydrogel-only, and C/0.25 composite after 4 weeks of implantation; however, significantly less residue was observed in the C/0.25 composite relative to the CPC-only after 8 weeks. After 12 weeks of hydrogel beads implantation, the hydrogel degraded substantially, creating vacancies that were subsequently occupied by a large amount of soft tissue. New bone was formed in large quantities in the C/0.25; therefore, the C/0.25 composite is a promising option for a wide range of dental, craniofacial, and orthopedic applications.

Injectability, Processability, Drug Loading, and Antibacterial Activity of Gentamicin-Impregnated Mesoporous Bioactive Glass Composite Calcium Phosphate Bone Cement In Vitro

“…Then, after soaking the mMBG/CPC composite of 10 wt.% mMBG/CPC in Tris-buffer for 1 day, the O-P-O (ν 4 mode in PO 4 3– ) bending vibrations of HA can be seen at 563 and 603 cm −1 . The asymmetric bending vibration of HA was found at 1041 cm −1 (ν 3 mode in PO 4 3− ) [ 32 , 33 , 34 ]. These bands indicated that the addition of mMBG does not affect the changes in CPC functional group vibrations.…”

Biomimetic Approach for Enhanced Mechanical Properties and Stability of Self-Mineralized Calcium Phosphate Dibasic–Sodium Alginate–Gelatine Hydrogel as Bone Replacement and Structural Building Material

“…Moreover, the tested different hydrogels with the three varied CPDB concentrations mentioned above exhibited minor swelling post printing and pre-cross-linking with the Na 2 CO 3 + CaCl 2 solution, especially in lower CPDB concentrations. This was due to the temperature-catalyzed cross-linking reaction between gelatine and alginate [118], followed by the second-phase cross-linking by the addition of calcium phosphate dibasic, leading to the in situ formation of the coherent hydrogel, congruent with [119,120], and then finalized by the third cross-linking with the calcium carbonate solution. However, all the developed hydrogels suffered from shrinkage post cross-linking from 1.5 to 3 mm in all the three directions of the prints (X, Y, and Z), which is almost 0.05% to 0.1% shrinkage from the original size of the full prints.…”