Formation of octacalcium phosphate and subsequent transformation to hydroxyapatite at low supersaturation: a model for cartilage calcification.

By means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), octacalcium phosphate (OCP, Ca8H2(PO4)6 X 5H2O, Ca/P = 1.33) has been shown to be a metastable precursor of hydroxyapatite (HA, Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, Ca/P = 1.67) during de novo HA formation in aqueous solutions containing [CaCl2] = 1.0-2.0 mM and [Na2HPO4] less than or equal to 3 mM, kept at 37 degrees C, 300 mosM and stirred gently at 150 rpm. At the precipitation boundary with initial pH = 7.4, OCP is stable for at least 24 hours when [Ca] = 1.0 mM, and is less stable when [Ca] = 2.0 mM, transforming into a mixture of OCP and HA within 24 hours. Almost complete transformation to HA within 24 hours takes place with high [Ca] and high [Pi]. Statistical analysis of the pH 7.4 precipitation boundary data supports the XRD findings: although [Ca][Pi] values vary significantly (P less than 0.001) with [Ca] (2.70 +/- 0.05 mM2 for [Ca] = 1.0 mM and 2.00 +/- 0.10 mM2 for [Ca] = 2.0 mM), [Ca]1.33[Pi] values do not vary with [Ca] suggesting that the initial precipitation process is 6(1.33 Ca + Pi)----OCP. With initial pH = 7.6, a different precipitation boundary with lower [Ca][Pi] values has been determined. These findings strongly support the fact that rat epiphyseal cartilage fluid which has [CaUF][PiUF] = 2.6 mM2 (UF = ultrafiltrate) and pH 7.6 [2] should be able to support de novo calcification.