Maccauro G, Bianchino G, Sangiorgi S, Magnani G, Marotta D, Manicone P F, Raffaelli L, Rossi Iommetti P, Stewart A, Cittadini A, Sgambato A
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Catholic University, Rome, Italy.
Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2009 Jul-Sep;22(3):773-9. doi: 10.1177/039463200902200323.
High purity alumina as well as zirconia ceramics have been widely used as orthopaedic implant biomaterials and dental devices displaying optimal, but sometimes exclusive, mechanical properties. In order to combine the advantages of alumina and zirconia ceramic materials different types of composites have been developed in which either zirconia is dispersed in an alumina matrix or vice versa. Orthopaedic and dental implant biomaterials are expected to be in contact with living tissues for a long period of time and their long term toxicity must be carefully evaluated. In this study we report the development of a high performance chromia-doped zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) material which displays promising mechanical properties in terms of hardness, strength and fracture toughness that make it suitable for prosthesis even for small joints. The long-term biocompatibility of this material was also evaluated, mainly in terms of DNA damage, mutagenicity and cancerogenetic potential in mammalian cells. The results obtained suggest that this new ZTA material does not display any longterm carcinogenic effect and it is suitable for biomedical applications from a cancerogenetic point of view. In conclusion, we report the development of a new chromia-doped ZTA material with interesting properties, both from a mechanical and a biocompatibility point of view which warrant further studies on its suitability as a candidate biomaterial for orthopaedic implants and dental devices.
高纯度氧化铝以及氧化锆陶瓷已被广泛用作骨科植入生物材料和牙科器械，它们展现出了最佳的机械性能，不过有时这些性能是独一无二的。为了结合氧化铝和氧化锆陶瓷材料的优点，人们开发了不同类型的复合材料，其中氧化锆分散在氧化铝基体中，或者反之。骨科和牙科植入生物材料预计会与活体组织长时间接触，因此必须仔细评估它们的长期毒性。在本研究中，我们报告了一种高性能的氧化铬掺杂氧化锆增韧氧化铝（ZTA）材料的研发情况，该材料在硬度、强度和断裂韧性方面展现出了有前景的机械性能，使其甚至适用于小关节的假体。我们还评估了这种材料的长期生物相容性，主要是从对哺乳动物细胞的DNA损伤、致突变性和致癌潜力方面进行评估。所获得的结果表明，这种新型ZTA材料没有显示出任何长期致癌作用，从致癌角度来看它适用于生物医学应用。总之，我们报告了一种新型氧化铬掺杂ZTA材料的研发情况，从机械性能和生物相容性角度来看，它都具有有趣的特性，这使得有必要进一步研究它作为骨科植入物和牙科器械候选生物材料的适用性。
