Bones could heal faster with nanocrystals
15 October 2007
A nanocrystalline cement could help bone grafts to heal more quickly,
Chinese scientists have claimed.
The amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) cement used in bone and dental
surgery has always been thought to make bones repair faster than more
solid alternatives. But now researchers from Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou, have found that the stem cells that help the healing
process actually grow more easily on tiny crystals of hydroxyapatite
(HAP, Ca10(PO4)6(OH)
and tooth enamel.
Bone marrow stem cells grow faster on hydroxyapatite nanocrystals
than previously thought
© RSC/Tang
'Previously, scientists have paid too much attention to the chemical
composition of the ceramics,' said Ruikang Tang, who led the research
team. Their study focussed instead on the crystal size effects by
keeping the size of the hydroxyapatite particles very close to 20nm.
Their in vitro experiments showed that crystalline HAP showed better
healing potential than the supposedly superior cement. Crystalline
hydroxyapatite in the size range 20-40nm is a basic building block
for biological bone and enamel, explained Tang, so 'ideal biomedical
materials should have the same features to improve tissue repair.'
The team now plan to test their nano-cement in laboratory animals.
Lee Buttery, a tissue engineering researcher at Nottingham University
School of Pharmacy, agrees that particle size has been
overlooked. 'In the body the bone marrow stem cells clearly respond
to nanoscale features which stimulate growth,' he said. 'We're only
now starting to look at the "smaller" picture.'
ReferencesQ Hu et al, J. Mater. Chem., 2007, DOI 10.1039/b710936a
Also of interestEffect of crystallinity of calcium phosphate
nanoparticles on adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation of bone
marrow mesenchymal stem cells
Qinghong Hu, Zhou Tan, Yukan Liu, Jinhui Tao, Yurong Cai, Ming Zhang,
Haihua Pan, Xurong Xu and Ruikang Tang, J. Mater. Chem., 2007
DOI: 10.1039/b710936a
http://www.rsc.
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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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