Fabrication of biodegradable β-tricalcium phosphate/poly(L-lactic acid) hybrids and their in vitro biocompatibility

Abstract

Hybrids of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) and poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) have been fabricated, which can be expected to be a novel filler for biodegradable bone grafting. Firstly, porous β-TCP ceramics have been made of calcium-phosphate fiber synthesized by homogeneous precipitation method. Then, the hybrids have been fabricated by introducing PLLA having highmolecular-weight into the open pores of the porous β-TCP ceramics. The mechanical property was enhanced, for example, by annealing the hybrids at 140°C for 24 h; the bending strength was 17.1 MPa, which was about 1.5 times that of the porous β-TCP ceramics. The biocompatibility has been examined using osteoblastic cell, MC3T3-E1, and found to be comparable to that of pure β-TCP ceramics. © 2010 The Ceramic Society of Japan.