Biological Effect of Calcium Phosphate Bioceramics Microstructure

Understanding of interactions between cells and biomaterials is a huge parameter for improving tissue engineering and regenerative medical fields. Many different materials have already been tested (including calcium phosphate ceramics) and it has been established that surface characteristic is a parameter that influences cell responses. The aim of this work was to characterize calcium phosphate discs containing various ratios of HA/β-TCP and specific microstructure. First results show that chemical composition and compression parameters modify surface materials. Secondly, cells were cultured (osteoblast-like cells MC3T3E1) and morphology, viability, and differentiation were studied. SEM observations, mitochondrial (MTS assay), and alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) measurements showed that osteoblasts have better viability and a higher rate of differentiation when cultured on dense surface compared to porous surface. The aim of this experiment was to contribute to the knowledge of interactions between osteoblast-like cells and microstructured calcium phosphate bioceramics pellets.