Abstract
Hydroxyapataite has been used as a scaffold for bone regeneration in periodontal surgey. The bulk of hydroxyapatite implanted, however, has not been absorbed, because it is highly crystallized. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the absorption of newly developed apatite-precipitated collagen sheets (HAPCS) after subcutaneous implantation in rats. The cytotoxicity and solubility of the HAPC sheets were assessed in vitro, and the absorption of HAPC sheets was assessed histologically in vivo in comparison with a control group (untreated and phosphatase-treated collagen sheets).
Proliferation of L-929 cells was unaffected by the presence of HAPC sheets during 7 days of incubation. The calcium and phosphorus in the HAPC sheets were not solubilized in artificial tissue fluid. No clear absorption of the HAPC sheets was detected until 3 weeks after implantation, whereas the control sheets had been absorved. The HAPC sheets Four weeks after implantation, however, were absorbed.
These findings showed that the apatite precipitated on the collagen sheets was absorbed into the body.
