Biomimetic Apatite Deposition on Calcium Silicate Gel Glasses

In order to understand the Biomimetic apatite formation mechanism on gel glasses, a glass (in mol-%) SiO2 80%—CaO 20% (80S20C) was prepared by the sol-gel method and its behaviour in a simulated body fluid (SBF) was studied. To study the role of phosphorous in the in vitro apatite formation, a gel glass (in mol-%) SiO2 80%—CaO 17%—P2O5 3% (80S17C3P) was prepared comparing its behaviour in SBF with that of 80S20C. In both studies, a protocol without renovation of SBF (static) was used. To mimic the conditions in the living organisms, an in vitro protocol with continuous renovation of solution (dynamic) was proposed. To check the feasibility of dynamic protocol, 80S20C and 80S17C3P were studied in dynamic and results compared with obtained in static. Static studies of 80S20C allowed us to verify that phosphorus is not essential for bioactivity because the apatite-like layer was formed from the phosphorous in SBF. However, a 3 mol-% of P2O5 in 80S17C3P gel glass favoured apatite crystallization. In dynamic, complete assays were performed with ionic concentrations and pH in solution almost equal to human plasma. After 7 days in dynamic, apatite crystals and crystalline aggregates were larger than in static. Besides, compositional variations were observed in the newly formed layer as a function of the protocol. In static, the layer formed in both glasses contained calcium and phosphorous, (Ca/P molar ratio = 1.6) and silicon. In dynamic, the layer did not contain silicon and the Ca/P molar ratio was 1.2. Differences in composition and pH of assay solution, 8 in static and 7.3 in dynamic could explain these variations. In static, an apatite close to stoichiometric could be formed. In dynamic, a mixture of calcium deficient apatite and other calcium phosphates could constitute the layer.