Mg and Si substituted hydroxyapatite: Behaviour in simulated body fluid

Abstract

Due to its similarity with biological apatite found in vertebrate hard tissues, calcium hydroxyapatite is one of the most investigated materials in bone tissue engineering. As the biological apatite is not stoichiometric, ion substituted hydroxyapatites attract much atention since they more closely mimic the composition of natural bone. Although there are many investigations of the influence of foreign ions on the structure and physico-chemical properties of ion-substituted hydroxyapatites, there is scarse information on their behaviour in different media. In the present study, magnesium (Mg), that plays a key role in bone metabolism and silicon (Si), that is necessary for normal skeletal development, were used as ion substitutes. The behaviour of Mg and Si substituted hydroxyapatite in simulated body fluid was investigated by XRD, FTIR and SEM. Obtained results confirmed great potential of these substituted hydroxyapatites for biomedical applications.