Abstract
Hydroxyaptite (HAp) ceramics are used as substituting materials for human hard tissue. For more enhanced biocompatibility, however, the surface of the HAp should be modified with suitable materials. We have tried a surface modification of HAp ceramics with inositol phosphate (IP6), which is highly safe in a human body and has a chelating ability particularly toward bone-forming cations: Mg2+, Ca2+ and Zn2+. Osteoblastic cells, MC3T3-E1, were seeded on the surface-modified HAp ceramics with IP6 and each cation to examine cellular responses: initial cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation. In addition, we examined gene expressions of the cell cultured on the surface-modified HAp ceramics using the RT-PCR of I-collagen,osteopontin and bone sialoprotein. Especially, the HAp ceramics modified with IP6 and Ca2+ showed the best cellular response on both the attachment and differentiation. It is concluded that IP6 is a very useful compound for enhancing the biocompatibility of the original HAp ceramics.
