Structure and properties of bovine bone - glass ceramic composite scaffolds

Abstract

Bioactive glass-ceramic coated 3D scaffolds with proper mechanical properties were fabricated. The base material of the scaffold is bovine bone, which appears mainly as a waste of the meat processing industry. After pre-treatment, different glass-ceramic mixtures were deposited onto the surface of these bones by infiltration in a vacuum chamber to form a smooth layer having a thickness of about 20 ?m. This coating has a beneficial effect both on the hardness and bending strength, and has bioactive properties to promote the colonization of bone-forming cells. Therefore, a scaffold that provides mechanical support and is biodegradable, was achieved with the bovine bone - glass-ceramics composites. Structure and properties of the composite scaffolds were tested by imaging methods (SEM, LM, CT), chemical and phase composition (EDS, XRD), strength, hardness and specific surface area measurements. In vitro cytotoxicity and cell adsorption were tested using colon adenocarcinoma tumour cells.