An artificial bone defect filling material with appropriate plasticity was prepared from non-sintered CO
3 apatite (Ap) and enzymatically-treated atelocollagen fibers, and is reffered to as the apatite-collagen composite. To improve the binding activity of the collagen fibers, the composite was irradiated with ultraviolet radiation for 4 hours.
In vitro, the composite was placed in a 0.9% NaCl solution to observe disintegration rates, weight loss rates, and Ca
2+ ion derivation rates. The UV-ray irradiated Ap-10wt% collagen composite showed the least disintegration, the non-irradiated Ap-5wt% collagen composite showed the greatest disintegration. To observe biological aspects, the composite was embedded into the mandibular borders of Sprague-Dawley rats for 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks, and histological changes observed by light microscopy of the cortical bone area. The collagen fibers in the composite disappeared within 2 weeks after implantation. The apatite was adhered well to the bone without significant abnormal histological changes during the period of experimention.
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