In vitro studies of novel CaO-SiO2-MgO system composite bioceramics

In this study, a series of CaO-SiO(2)-MgO composites with different beta-CaSiO(3) (CS)/Mg(2)SiO(4) (M(2)S) composite ratios were prepared to produce new bioactive and biodegradable biomaterials for potential bone repair. The mechanical properties of CS-M(2)S composites increased steadily with the increase of M(2)S ratios in composites. Dissolution tests in Tris-HCl buffer solution showed obvious differences with different CS initial composite ratio in composites. The dissolution rate increased with the increase of CS composite ratio, which suggested that the solubility of composites could be tailored by adjusting the initial CS/M(2)S composite ratio. Formation of bone-like apatite on a range of CS-M(2)S composites with CS weight percentage ranging from 0 to 100 has been investigated in simulated body fluid (SBF). The presence of bone-like apatite layer on the composite surface after soaking in SBF was demonstrated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The results showed that the apatite formation ability of the CS-M(2)S composite with 70% CS was detected after 10 days immersion. In vitro cell experiments showed that the 50 and 70% CS composites supported greater osteoblast-like cell proliferation as compared with pure M(2)S (p<0.05). The results of this study suggested that the CS-M(2)S composites with 50 and 70% initial CS composite amount might be more suitable for preparation of bone repair materials.