Cytocompatibility and osteogenic activity of a novel calcium phosphate silicate bioceramic: Silicocarnotite

Abstract In the present study, the effect of a novel bioceramic, silicon‐containing calcium phosphate ceramic (silicocarnotite, Ca₅(PO₄)₂SiO₄, CPS) on attachment, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSC) has been investigated in comparison to hydroxyapatite (HA). The CPS showed a similar cell attachment behavior to HA, while the proliferation of rBMSC on CPS was significantly higher than that on HA, which indicated that CPS had a good cytocompatibility. Moreover, the expression of alkaline phosphatase activity and osteogenic‐related genes, including Runx‐2, osteopontin (OPN), bone sialoprotein (BSP) and osteocalcin (OC), demonstrated that CPS enhanced the osteogenic differentiation of rBMSC and accelerated the differentiation process. The results suggest that CPS ceramic exhibits a good cytocompatibility and osteogenic activity, which might be used as a potential candidate material for bone tissue engineering. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2013.