An in-vitro evaluation of coralline porous hydroxyapatite as a scaffold for osteoblast growth.

The purpose of this study was to determine the potential of coralline calcium phosphate ceramics to support osteoblast growth for a proposed bone-ceramic composite for skeletal tissue repair. The goal was the development of a matrix with both osteogenic and osteoconductive properties, as compared to ceramic alone, which is solely osteoconductive. MC3T3-E1 osteoblast-like cells were seeded onto sintered and non-sintered porous coralline hydroxyapatite (HA), and onto non-porous hydroxyapatite discs. These in-vitro studies demonstrated that coralline HA supported the growth of osteoblast-like cells. Porous discs supported higher numbers of cells than non-porous discs. Sintering encouraged cell growth, with higher numbers of cells adhered to sintered porous HA discs by day seven. The results suggest that HA can provide a support for osteoblast cells as part of a matrix which may prove to be osteogenic in vivo and may, accordingly, enhance the bone repair process.