Simulated body fluid and the novel bioactive materials derived from it

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Biocompatibility Testing
• Orthopedic Materials

Background:

• Professor Larry Hench's 1970 discovery of bone-bonding glasses spurred research into new materials.
• Early research lacked guiding principles, leading to extensive animal testing for bone-bonding material development.
• The need for ethical and efficient evaluation methods for bioactive materials was apparent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate a non-animal testing method for assessing bone-bonding capacity.
• To establish guiding principles for developing novel bone-bonding bioactive materials.
• To demonstrate the utility of simulated body fluid (SBF) testing in material development.

Main Methods:

• Proposed evaluation of bone-bonding capacity by examining apatite formation on material surfaces in acellular simulated body fluid (SBF).
• Utilized SBF testing to guide the development of novel bioactive materials, particularly those based on titanium (Ti) metal and its alloys.
• Compared SBF evaluation with traditional animal testing methods.

Main Results:

• The SBF method successfully predicted bone-bonding capacity, enabling the development of new materials without animal sacrifice.
• Various novel bioactive materials based on Ti and its alloys were successfully developed using SBF evaluation.
• Several of these SBF-developed materials have been clinically implemented as effective bone-repairing agents.

Conclusions:

• Simulated body fluid (SBF) testing is a crucial, non-animal method for evaluating and developing bone-bonding bioactive materials.
• The SBF evaluation method has significantly advanced the field of orthopedic biomaterials.
• This approach has facilitated the clinical translation of innovative bone-repairing materials.