Cellular mechanisms of calcium phosphate ceramic degradation

Calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramics are widely used for bone substitution in orthopedic, maxillofacial and dental surgery. Many environmental factors are involved in the gradual degradation of calcium phosphate ceramic after implantation, including physiocochemical processes (dissolution-precipitation) and the effects of various cell types. Several of these cell types degrade ceramics by phagocytotic mechanisms (fibroblasts, osteoblasts, monocytes/macrophages) or by an acidic mechanism with a proton pump to reduce the pH of the microenvironment and resorb these synthetic substrates (osteoclasts). Various mesenchymal cells located at the implantation sites can induce the solubilization of CaP ceramics. Crystal-cell contacts were required to induce such crystal dissolution. Mesenchymal cells such as fibroblastic cells are also actively involved in the ceramic degradation process. In this context, CaP crystals underwent dissolution into the phagosome. If osteoclasts resorb CaP ceramics similarly to the natural bone, they possess a phagocytic capability. This phagocytosis mechanism consisted of three steps: crystal phagocytosis, disappearance of the endophagosome envelope membrane and fragmentation of phagocytosed crystals within the cytoplasm. Similar phenomenons have been observed during the phagocytic mechanism induced by monocytes/macrophages. The cellular mechanisms of CaP ceramic degradation are modulated by various parameters, such as the properties of the ceramic itself, the implantation sites and the presence of various proteins (cytokines, hormones, vitamins, ions, etc.). The cells involved in these mechanisms could intervene directly or indirectly through their cytokine/growth factor secretions and their sensitivity to the same molecules. This article reviews recent knowledge on the cellular mechanisms of calcium phosphate ceramic degradation.