Wu Yu-Chun, Lee Tzer-Min, Chiu Kuo-Hsun, Shaw Shyh-Yu, Yang Chyun-Yu
Institute of Biotechnology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
J Mater Sci Mater Med. 2009 Jun;20(6):1273-80. doi: 10.1007/s10856-009-3695-3. Epub 2009 Mar 9.
Coral has been used for bone grafts since 1970. Because coral has the advantages of good osteoconduction, biocompatibility, and biodegradation, it is also suitable for scaffolds used in bone-tissue engineering. However, the skeletons of different species of corals often vary significantly, and very few studies focus on the assessment of the permeability and mechanical properties of coral structure. In order to better understand the use of coral in bone tissue-engineering, we selected three typical models (Acropora sp., Goniopora sp., and Porites sp.) to analyze for pore size, porosity, permeability, and mechanical strength. We found Goniopora and Porites had homogenous structure and Acropora had oriented pores and irregular pore size. Acropora had the largest permeability, however, the transverse section was closed and the useful size was limited because of its habitat type. Porites had the smallest pore size and had the lowest permeability. Our data indicated that Goniopora sp. can be considered as the most promising source of scaffolds for bone-tissue engineering because of its high porosity (73%) and that its permeability and mechanics were similar to those in human cancellous bone. In conclusion, we analyzed the impact of the macroporous structure of coral on the permeability and mechanical properties that provide indicators for designing the optimal scaffold for bone-tissue engineering.
自1970年以来，珊瑚就被用于骨移植。由于珊瑚具有良好的骨传导性、生物相容性和生物降解性等优点，它也适用于骨组织工程中使用的支架。然而，不同种类珊瑚的骨骼往往差异很大，很少有研究关注珊瑚结构的渗透性和力学性能评估。为了更好地了解珊瑚在骨组织工程中的应用，我们选择了三种典型模型（鹿角珊瑚属、角孔珊瑚属和多孔螅属）来分析其孔径、孔隙率、渗透性和机械强度。我们发现角孔珊瑚属和多孔螅属具有均匀的结构，而鹿角珊瑚属具有定向孔隙且孔径不规则。鹿角珊瑚属的渗透性最大，然而，由于其栖息地类型，其横截面积是封闭的且可用尺寸有限。多孔螅属的孔径最小且渗透性最低。我们的数据表明，角孔珊瑚属可被视为骨组织工程中最有前景的支架来源，因为其孔隙率高（73%），且其渗透性和力学性能与人类松质骨相似。总之，我们分析了珊瑚大孔结构对渗透性和力学性能的影响，为设计骨组织工程的最佳支架提供了指标。
