Bioactive, degradable composite microspheres: effect of filler material on surface reactivity

Composite microspheres with two different fillers were developed using a solid-in-oil-in-water (s/o/w) emulsion solvent removal method. Two types of bioactive ceramic powders, specifically calcium hydroxyapatite (HA) and modified bioactive glass (MBG), were incorporated into degradable poly(lactic acid) (PLA) polymer matrix to form composite microspheres. For each filler material, microspheres with three different weight ratios of filler material to polymer, namely, 1: 1, 1: 3, and 1: 9, were synthesized. In vitro immersion using simulated physiological fluid (SPF) was employed to evaluate the surface reactivity of the microspheres. SEM analysis revealed that after a 14-day immersion the surface of the microspheres containing 50% MBG was fully transformed into a bone-like apatite. In contrast, a limited number of mineral nodules were present on the surface of microspheres containing HA. The solution chemical analyses performed to determine changes of Ca, P, and Si concentrations as a function of the immersion time showed that the ion concentration profiles were similar for all microspheres, except the [Si] profile. A higher Si concentration was detected in the SPF immersed with MBG-containing microspheres. These data show that the MBG filler significantly enhances the surface reactivity of the composite microspheres. This observation enables us to conclude that the composite MBG-containing microspheres are the preferable microspheres for three-dimensional bone tissue engineering.