Materials, Vol. 10, Pages 1347: Enhancement of Osteoblastic-Like Cell Activity by Glow Discharge Plasma Surface Modified Hydroxyapatite/?-Tricalcium Phosphate Bone Substitute (Materials)

Glow discharge plasma (GDP) treatments of biomaterials, such as hydroxyapatite/?-tricalcium phosphate (HA/?-TCP) composites, produce surfaces with fewer contaminants and may facilitate cell attachment and enhance bone regeneration. Thus, in this study we used argon glow discharge plasma (Ar-GDP) treatments to modify HA/?-TCP particle surfaces and investigated the physical and chemical properties of the resulting particles (HA/?-TCP + Ar-GDP). The HA/?-TCP particles were treated with GDP for 15 min in argon gas at room temperature under the following conditions: power: 80 W; frequency: 13.56 MHz; pressure: 100 mTorr. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations showed similar rough surfaces of HA/?-TCP + Ar-GDP HA/?-TCP particles, and energy dispersive spectrometry analyses showed that HA/?-TCP surfaces had more contaminants than HA/?-TCP + Ar-GDP surfaces. Ca/P mole ratios in HA/?-TCP and HA/?-TCP + Ar-GDP were 1.34 and 1.58, respectively. Both biomaterials presented maximal intensities of X-ray diffraction patterns at 27° with 600 a.u. At 25° and 40°, HA/?-TCP + Ar-GDP and HA/?-TCP particles had peaks of 200 a.u., which are similar to XRD intensities of human bone. In subsequent comparisons, MG-63 cell viability and differentiation into osteoblast-like cells were assessed on HA/?-TCP and HA/?-TCP + Ar-GDP surfaces, and Ar-GDP treatments led to improved cell growth and alkaline phosphatase activities. The present data indicate that GDP surface treatment modified HA/?-TCP surfaces by eliminating contaminants, and the resulting graft material enhanced bone regeneration.