In vivo Mineralization of Novel Implantable Composite Flexioss for Veterinary Orthopedic Purposes

Objetives of the Study

Due to the growing interest in efficient techniques used for surgical fixation, correction and regeneration of animal skeleton, the search for new biocompatible implantable materials is ongoing.

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is appreciated as a bone filler due to its biocompatibility, bioactivity, osteoconductivity and lack of carcinogenous and proallergic properties [1-3]. It is therefore recommended for orthopedic and stomatological purposes. On the other hand, HAp application is often limited due to its relatively poor resorption, substantially high Young modulus and low fracture toughness [4,5]. These properties cause an unsatisfactory surgical handiness of HAp granules and powders. However, this disadvantage of hydroxyapatite may be improved by addition of elasticity-increasing polymers.

Therefore, to overcome the problem resulting from the insufficient surgical handiness of HAp- based ceramics, ?-1,3-glucan has been proposed as a joining agent to combine granular ceramics into novel compact and elastic composite. It was previously found to show good surgical handiness and mechanical properties resembling those of human spongy bone [6]. In described experiments, hydroxyapatite-glucan elastic material (FlexiOss) was implanted to the tibiae of white New Zealand rabbits and evaluated in vivo during 6-months long post-operative period. [...]