Formation of bone-like apatite enhanced by hydrolysis of octacalcium phosphate crystals deposited in collagen matrix.

It has been shown that granules of synthetic octacalcium phosphate (OCP) or the composites with collagen are capable of enhancing bone regeneration, accompanied by a gradual conversion from OCP to apatite with time. The present study was designed to investigate whether formation of bone-like apatite can be accelerated by OCP deposited throughout collagen matrix (OCP collagen complex, OCC) immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF). The formation of bone-like apatite has been suggested to be essential to induce osteoconductivity of various substrates. The formation of OCP in collagen solution was investigated in calcium or phosphate ions in the range between 22.5 and 142.5 mM and pH 6.26 and 8.56. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that condition to nucleate OCP was limited to that of a solution with Ca/P 0.43 around pH 7.16 in the presence of collagen. OCP was shown to be formed throughout the collagen matrix by SEM observation. The immersion of OCC in SBF up to 10 days enhanced apatite crystal deposition, probably through OCP-apatite conversion: the apatite formation in OCC took place within only 1 day. The present study indicated that the existence of OCP deposited throughout the collagen matrix promotes bone-like apatite formation under physiological condition.