Effect of albumin on brushite transformation to hydroxyapatite

Brushite (CaHPO(4) x 2H(2)O) is a precursor to hydroxyapatite [HA, Ca(5)(PO(4))(3)OH]. It has been shown that a modified form of brushite, with potassium substituting for calcium at specific sites, demonstrated accelerated transformation to HA when exposed to nonproteinaceous Hanks' balanced aqueous salt solutions (HBSS). The biocompatibility of a transforming material is related to cellular response to the process, which is initiated by protein adsorption. The effect of adsorbed protein on the kinetics and chemistry of brushite transformation to HA, when exposed to HBSS containing bovine serum albumin (BSA), was examined using Fourier transform IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy dispersive spectrometry techniques. The effect of solution pH was also studied. Results show that, in the presence of a protein-free environment, transformation is faster in buffered medium than in nonbuffered medium. Moreover, curve fitting and second derivatives of the IR spectra show that some bands shift depending on whether the brushite transforms in a buffered or nonbuffered medium. Therefore, variation in pH affects both transformation rate and the associated chemistry. The presence of BSA in either buffered or nonbuffered medium retards the transformation in comparison to the corresponding BSA-free medium. The extent of this retardation increases with the increase in bulk concentration of BSA but does not alter the transformation chemistry. This suggests the retardation on the transformation rate is due to BSA adsorption coverage on the calcium phosphate ceramic. This may be due to the shielding of Ca(2+) and PO(4)(-3) sites, preventing their interaction with the HBSS.