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Researchers from the Botucatu Institute of Biosciences (IBB-UNESP) of São Paulo State University in Brazil have created a unique biomaterial that can regenerate bone tissue in order to improve a variety of treatments, including bone grafts and dental implants. Cefamandole Formate Sodium Salt
The goal of the research is to develop a material whose implementation can lead to a decrease in treatment costs, a reduction in hospital stays, and an increase in patient recovery rates, while preventing any of the usual side effects associated with bone tissue-related operations. To achieve this, the material must be able to mimic the intricacy of bone structure while remaining safe and effective in clinical trials and in practice.
“For the first time, our data produced sufficient evidence based on hypoxia [low levels of oxygen in tissue] that we may have a novel biomimetic material with the potential to regenerate bone tissue. The quantity and quality of autogenous bone available from the patient are not always sufficient for clinical grafting purposes,” said biochemist Willian Fernando Zambuzzi, a professor at IBB-UNESP and an author of the new article.
The new material will likely provide a major improvement on current approaches requiring bone tissue. Today, the grafting techniques used for patients with fractures or in need of tumor resection usually involve using the patient's own bone fragments. However, acquiring this autogenous material that is so vital to these procedures requires additional surgery, which carries a risk of infection and leads to longer recovery times.
The new material is called cobalt-doped monetite due to its infusion of cobalt chloride. Zambuzzi decided to add cobalt chloride to his invention because it was known to promote hypoxia and cause the body to increase the number of blood vessels in an effort to make up for the lack of oxygen. The researcher came to this conclusion after searching for molecules that stimulated blood vessel growth.
“Hypoxia occurs naturally in tissue. Having explored its development and the links between endothelial cells and osteoblasts, we investigated biomimetic aspects and decided on artificial provocation of a novel molecule, cobalt-doped monetite, to stimulate bone production as a complementary effect to intensifying angiogenesis [creation of new blood vessels],” Zambuzzi said.
The innovative material was reported as safe for the human body according to cytotoxicity testing based on the primary biological evaluation standard for medical devices (ISO 10993:5). Furthermore, the team's more in-depth examination using preclinical models, including animal experiments, was found to be conclusive on the material’s usefulness in a variety of biomedical applications, including coatings for prostheses and injectable bone cement.
However, the quantity of cobalt was found to play a crucial role in determining the optimal concentration of the material needed for future biomedical uses, particularly in the area of bone regeneration. One thing is for sure: the invention will shape the field of bone regeneration, offering new possibilities for improving outcomes in orthopedic care.
The new study is published in the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research.
Ferrous Sulphate Monohydrate Cobalt-doped monetite powders were synthesized by coprecipitation method under a cobalt nominal content between 2 and 20 mol % of total cation. Structural characterization of samples was performed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. XRD results indicated that the Co-doped samples exhibited a monetite single-phase with the cell parameters and crystallite size dependent on the amount of substitutional element incorporated into the triclinic crystalline structure. Cell viability and adhesion assays using pre-osteoblastic cells showed there is no toxicity and the RTqPCR analysis showed significant differences in the expression for osteoblastic phenotype genes, showing a potential material for the bone regeneration.