Intraosteal Behavior of Porous Scaffolds: The mCT Raw-Data Analysis as a Tool for Better Understanding

Abstract

The aim of the study is to determine the existing correlation between high-resolution 3D imaging technique obtained through Micro Computed Tomography (mCT) and histological-histomorphometric images to determine in vivo bone osteogenic behavior of bioceramic scaffolds. A Ca-Si-P scaffold ceramic doped and non-doped (control) with a natural demineralized bone matrix (DBM) were implanted in rabbit tibias for 1, 3, and 5 months. A progressive disorganization and disintegration of scaffolds and bone neoformation occurs, from the periphery to the center of the implants, without any differences between histomorphometric and radiological analysis. However, significant differences (p < 0.05) between DMB-doped and non-doped materials where only detected through mathematical analysis of mCT. In this way, average attenuation coefficient for DMB-doped decreased from 0.99 ± 0.23 Hounsfield Unit (HU) (3 months) to 0.86 ± 0.32 HU (5 months). Average values for non-doped decreased from 0.86 ± 0.25 HU (3 months) to 0.66 ± 0.33 HU. Combination of radiological analysis and mathematical mCT seems to provide an adequate in vivo analysis of bone-implanted biomaterials after surgery, obtaining similar results to the one provided by histomorphometric analysis. Mathematical analysis of Computed Tomography (CT) would allow the conducting of long-term duration in vivo studies, without the need for animal sacrifice, and the subsequent reduction in variability.

RETRACTED: Nurse’s A-Phase–Silicocarnotite Ceramic–Bone Tissue Interaction in a Rabbit Tibia Defect Model

“…The synthesis of Nurse’s A-phase (7CaOP 2 O 5 2SiO 2 ) and silicocarnotite (5CaOP 2 O 5 SiO 2 ) as monophasic materials was addressed by the present authors in a previous work [21,22,23]. On the basis of the Nurse’s A-phase–silicocarnotite in the system Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 –Ca 2 SiO 4 , an invariant eutectoid point at 1366 °C ± 4 °C for a composition of 28.39 wt% Nurse’s A-phase–71.61 wt% silicocarnotite was also established [11] and results of proliferation, growth, and osteoblastic differentiation of adult human mesenchymal stem cells on the material proved that the biphasic dense ceramic developed is not cytotoxic [24,25].…”