Biomimetic mineral coatings in dental and orthopaedic implantology
Liu, Yue-lian ; de Groot, Klaas ; Hunziker, Ernst
In: Frontiers of Materials Science in China, 2009, vol. 3, no. 2, p. 154-162
Ajouter à la liste personnelle- Summary
- Biomimetic techniques are used to deposit coatings of calcium phosphate upon medical devices. The procedure is conducted under near-physiological, or "biomimetic”, conditions of temperature and pH primarily to improve their biocompatibility and biodegradability of the materials. The inorganic layers generated by biomimetic methods resemble bone mineral, and can be degraded within a biological milieu. The biomimetic coating technique involves the nucleation and growth of bone-like crystals upon a pretreated substrate by immersing this in a supersaturated solution of calcium phosphate under physiological conditions of temperature (37°C) and pH (7.4). The method, originally developed by Kokubo in 1990, has since undergone improvement and refinement by several groups of investigators. Biomimetic coatings are valuable in that they can serve as a vehicle for the slow and sustained release of osteogenic agents at the site of implantation. This attribute is rendered possible by the near-physiological conditions under which these coatings are prepared, which permits an incorporation of bioactive agents into the inorganic crystal latticework rather than their mere superficial adsorption onto preformed layers. In addition, the biomimetic coating technique can be applied to implants of an organic as well as of an inorganic nature and to those with irregular surface geometries, which is not possible using conventional methodologies