Calcium Phosphate Cements Combined with Blood as a Promising Tool for the Treatment of Bone Marrow Lesions.

The solid phase of a commercial calcium phosphate (Graftys® HBS) was combined with ovine or human blood stabilized either with sodium citrate or sodium heparin. The presence of blood delayed the setting reaction of the cement by ca. 7-15 h, depending on the nature of the blood and blood stabilizer. This phenomenon was found to be directly related to the particle size of the HBS solid phase, since prolonged grinding of the latter resulted in a shortened setting time (10-30 min). Even though ca. 10 h were necessary for the HBS blood composite to harden, its cohesion right after injection was improved when compared to the HBS reference as well as its injectability. A fibrin-based material was gradually formed in the HBS blood composite to end-up, after ca. 100 h, with a dense 3D organic network present in the intergranular space, thus affecting the microstructure of the composite. Indeed, SEM analyses of polished cross-sections showed areas of low mineral density (over 10-20 µm) spread in the whole volume of the HBS blood composite. Most importantly, when the two cement formulations were injected in the tibial subchondral cancellous bone in a bone marrow lesion ovine model, quantitative SEM analyses showed a highly significant difference between the HBS reference versus its analogue combined with blood. After a 4-month implantation, histological analyses clearly showed that the HBS blood composite underwent high resorption (remaining cement: ca. 13.1 ± 7.3%) and new bone formation (newly formed bone: 41.8 ± 14.7%). This was in sharp contrast with the case of the HBS reference for which a low resorption rate was observed (remaining cement: 79.0 ± 6.9%; newly formed bone: 8.6 ± 4.8%). This study suggested that the particular microstructure, induced by the use of blood as the HBS liquid phase, favored quicker colonization of the implant and acceleration of its replacement by newly formed bone. For this reason, the HBS blood composite might be worth considering as a potentially suitable material for subchondroplasty.

Combination of biocompatible hydrogel precursors to apatitic calcium phosphate cements (CPCs): Influence of the in situ hydrogel reticulation on the CPC properties.

In the field of bone regenerative medicine, injectable calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) are used for decades in clinics, as bone void fillers. Most often preformed polymers (e.g., hyaluronic acid, collagen, chitosan, cellulose ethers…) are introduced in the CPC formulation to make it injectable and improve its cohesion. Once the cement has hardened, the polymer is simply trapped in the CPC structure and no organic subnetwork is present. By contrast, in this work a CPC was combined with organic monomers that reticulated in situ so that a continuous biocompatible 3D polymeric subnetwork was formed in the CPC microstructure, resulting in a higher permeability of the CPC, which might allow to accelerate its in vivo degradation. Two options were investigated depending on whether the polymer was formed before the apatitic inorganic network or concomitantly. In the former case, conditions were found to reach a suitable rheology for easy injection of the composite. In addition, the in situ formed polymer was shown to strongly affect the size, density, and arrangement of the apatite crystals formed during the setting reaction, thereby offering an original route to modulate the microstructure and porosity of apatitic cements.

Investigation of copper oxidation states in plasmonic nanomaterials by XAS and Raman spectroscopy.

Plasmonic core-shell-isolated nanoparticles are promising nanoplatforms for photocatalysis and for low detection analysis. This paper describes the characterization of a 2,2'-bipyridine phosphonate functionalized Ag@TiO2 nanocomposite which complexes copper ions by enhanced Raman spectroscopy and X-ray absorption (XANES and EXAFS). We distinguished Cu(i) from Cu(ii) complexes using shell-isolated nanoparticle enhanced Raman (SHINERS) combined with XAS spectroscopy.

In vivo resorption of injectable apatitic calcium phosphate cements: Critical role of the intergranular microstructure.

The in vivo resorption rate of two injectable apatitic calcium phosphate cements used in clinics (Graftys® HBS and NORIAN®) was compared, using a good laboratory practice (GLP) study based on an animal model of critical-sized bone defect. To rationalize the markedly different biological properties observed for both cements, key physical features were investigated, including permeability and water-accessible porosity, total porosity measured by mercury intrusion and gravimetry, and microstructure. Due to a different concept for creating porosity between the two cements investigated in this study, a markedly different microstructural arrangement of apatite crystals was observed in the intergranular space, which was found to significantly influence both the mechanical strength and in vivo degradation of the two calcium phosphate cements.

Fibrin as a Multipurpose Physiological Platform for Bone Tissue Engineering and Targeted Delivery of Bioactive Compounds.

Although bone graft is still considered as the gold standard method, bone tissue engineering offers promising alternatives designed to mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) and to guide bone regeneration process. In this attempt, due to their similarity to the ECM and their low toxicity/immunogenicity properties, growing attention is paid to natural polymers. In particular, considering the early critical role of fracture hematoma for bone healing, fibrin, which constitutes blood clot, is a candidate of choice. Indeed, in addition to its physiological roles in bone healing cascade, fibrin biochemical characteristics make it suitable to be used as a multipurpose platform for bioactive agents' delivery. Thus, taking advantage of these key assets, researchers and clinicians have the opportunity to develop composite systems that might further improve bone tissue reconstruction, and more generally prevent/treat skeletal disorders.

Functionalized core-shell Ag@TiO2 nanoparticles for enhanced Raman spectroscopy: a sensitive detection method for Cu(ii) ions.

This paper demonstrates the use of surface plasmon resonance of core-shell Ag@TiO2 particles in SHINERS experiments. A copper(ii) complex grafted onto Ag@TiO2 surface was probed by Raman spectroscopy using resonance excitation profiles vs. excitation wavelengths (514, 633 and 785 nm) to tune the Raman signals. Enhancement factors of the SHINERS assembly have been estimated and compared to the SERS effect of unmodified silver NPs colloidal dispersions. Finally, the grafting of the copper(ii) complex onto Ag@TiO2 was advantageously compared to the grafting onto Ag@SiO2 shell.

Phosphonate-Mediated Immobilization of Rhodium/Bipyridine Hydrogenation Catalysts.

RhL2 complexes of phosphonate-derivatized 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) ligands L were immobilized on titanium oxide particles generated in situ. Depending on the structure of the bipy ligand-number of tethers (1 or 2) to which the phosphonate end groups are attached and their location on the 2,2'-bipyridine backbone (4,4'-, 5,5'-, or 6,6'-positions)-the resulting supported catalysts showed comparable chemoselectivity but different kinetics for the hydrogenation of 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one under hydrogen pressure. Characterization of the six supported catalysts suggested that the intrinsic geometry of each of the phosphonate-derivatized 2,2'-bipyridines leads to supported catalysts with different microstructures and different arrangements of the RhL2 species at the surface of the solid, which thereby affect their reactivity.

Design and properties of a novel radiopaque injectable apatitic calcium phosphate cement, suitable for image-guided implantation.

An injectable purely apatitic calcium phosphate cement (CPC) was successfully combined to a water-soluble radiopaque agent (i.e., Xenetix® ), to result in an optimized composition that was found to be as satisfactory as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) formulations used for vertebroplasty, in terms of radiopacity, texture and injectability. For that purpose, the Xenetix dosage in the cement paste was optimized by injection of the radiopaque CPC in human cadaveric vertebrae under classical PMMA vertebroplasty conditions, performed by interventional radiologists familiar with this surgical procedure. When present in the cement paste up to 70 mg I mL-1 , Xenetix did not influence the injectability, cohesion, and setting time of the resulting composite. After hardening of the material, the same observation was made regarding the microstructure, mechanical strength and alpha-tricalcium phosphate to calcium deficient apatite transformation rate. Upon implantation in bone in a small animal model (rat), the biocompatibility of the Xenetix-containing CPC was evidenced. Moreover, an almost quantitative release of the contrast agent was found to occur rapidly, on the basis of in vitro static and dynamic quantitative studies simulating in vivo implantation. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 2786-2795, 2018.

Non-photochemical catalytic hydrolysis of methyl parathion using core-shell Ag@TiO2 nanoparticles.

Highly water-dispersible core-shell Ag@TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared and shown to be catalytically active for the rapid degradation of the organothiophosphate pesticide methyl parathion (MeP). Formation of the hydrolysis product, p-nitrophenolate was monitored at pH 7.5 and 8.0, using UV-Vis spectroscopy. 31P NMR spectroscopy confirmed that hydrolysis is the predominant pathway for substrate breakdown under non-photocatalytic conditions. We have demonstrated that the unique combination of TiO2 with silver nanoparticles is required for catalytic hydrolysis with good recyclability. This work represents the first example of MeP degradation using TiO2 doped with AgNPs under mild and ambient conditions. Analysis of catalytic data and a proposed dark mechanism for MeP hydrolysis using core-shell Ag@TiO2 nanoparticles are described.

A straightforward approach to enhance the textural, mechanical and biological properties of injectable calcium phosphate apatitic cements (CPCs): CPC/blood composites, a comprehensive study.

Two commercial formulations of apatitic calcium phosphate cements (CPCs), Graftys® Quickset (QS) and Graftys® HBS (HBS), similar in composition but with different initial setting time (7 and 15min, respectively), were combined to ovine whole blood. Surprisingly, although a very cohesive paste was obtained after a few minutes, the setting time of the HBS/blood composite dramatically delayed when compared to its QS analogue and the two blood-free references. Using solid state NMR, scanning electron microscopy and high frequency impedance measurements, it was shown that, in the particular case of the HBS/blood composite, formation of a reticulated and porous organic network occurred in the intergranular space, prior to the precipitation of apatite crystals driven by the cement setting process. The resulting microstructure conferred unique biological properties to this material upon implantation in bone defects, since its degradation rate after 4 and 12weeks was more than twice that for the three other CPCs, with a significant replacement by newly formed bone. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: A major challenge in the design of bone graft substitutes is the development of injectable, cohesive, resorbable and self-setting calcium phosphate cement (CPC) that enables rapid cell invasion with initial mechanical properties as close as bone ones. Thus, we describe specific conditions in CPC-blood composites where the formation of a 3D clot-like network can interact with the precipitated apatite crystals formed during the cement setting process. The resulting microstructure appears more ductile at short-term and more sensitive to biological degradation which finally promotes new bone formation. This important and original paper reports the design and in-depth chemical and physical characterization of this groundbreaking technology.

Solid-state 31P and 1H chemical MR micro-imaging of hard tissues and biomaterials with magic angle spinning at very high magnetic field.

In this work, we show that it is possible to overcome the limitations of solid-state MRI for rigid tissues due to large line broadening and short dephasing times by combining Magic Angle Spinning (MAS) with rotating pulsed field gradients. This allows recording ex vivo 31P 3D and 2D slice-selected images of rigid tissues and related biomaterials at very high magnetic field, with greatly improved signal to noise ratio and spatial resolution when compared to static conditions. Cross-polarization is employed to enhance contrast and to further depict spatially localized chemical variations in reduced experimental time. In these materials, very high magnetic field and moderate MAS spinning rate directly provide high spectral resolution and enable the use of frequency selective excitation schemes for chemically selective imaging. These new possibilities are exemplified with experiments probing selectively the 3D spatial distribution of apatitic hydroxyl protons inside a mouse tooth with attached jaw bone with a nominal isotropic resolution nearing 100 µm.

Comparison of Zirconium Phosphonate-Modified Surfaces for Immobilizing Phosphopeptides and Phosphate-Tagged Proteins.

Different routes for preparing zirconium phosphonate-modified surfaces for immobilizing biomolecular probes are compared. Two chemical-modification approaches were explored to form self-assembled monolayers on commercially available primary amine-functionalized slides, and the resulting surfaces were compared to well-characterized zirconium phosphonate monolayer-modified supports prepared using Langmuir-Blodgett methods. When using POCl3 as the amine phosphorylating agent followed by treatment with zirconyl chloride, the result was not a zirconium-phosphonate monolayer, as commonly assumed in the literature, but rather the process gives adsorbed zirconium oxide/hydroxide species and to a lower extent adsorbed zirconium phosphate and/or phosphonate. Reactions giving rise to these products were modeled in homogeneous-phase studies. Nevertheless, each of the three modified surfaces effectively immobilized phosphopeptides and phosphopeptide tags fused to an affinity protein. Unexpectedly, the zirconium oxide/hydroxide modified surface, formed by treating the amine-coated slides with POCl3/Zr(4+), afforded better immobilization of the peptides and proteins and efficient capture of their targets.

Design and properties of novel gallium-doped injectable apatitic cements.

Different possible options were investigated to combine an apatitic calcium phosphate cement with gallium ions, known as bone resorption inhibitors. Gallium can be either chemisorbed onto calcium-deficient apatite or inserted in the structure of ß-tricalcium phosphate, and addition of these gallium-doped components into the cement formulation did not significantly affect the main properties of the biomaterial, in terms of injectability and setting time. Under in vitro conditions, the amount of gallium released from the resulting cement pellets was found to be low, but increased in the presence of osteoclastic cells. When implanted in rabbit bone critical defects, a remodeling process of the gallium-doped implant started and an excellent bone interface was observed. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The integration of drugs and materials is a growing force in the medical industry. The incorporation of pharmaceutical products not only promises to expand the therapeutic scope of biomaterials technology but to design a new generation of true combination products whose therapeutic value stem equally from both the structural attributes of the material and the intrinsic therapy of the drug. In this context, for the first time an injectable calcium phosphate cement containing gallium was designed with properties suitable for practical application as a local delivery system, implantable by minimally invasive surgery. This important and original paper reports the design and in-depth chemical and physical characterization of this groundbreaking technology.

Design and optimization of a phosphopeptide anchor for specific immobilization of a capture protein on zirconium phosphonate modified supports.

The attachment of affinity proteins onto zirconium phosphonate coated glass slides was investigated by fusing a short phosphorylated peptide sequence at one extremity to enable selective bonding to the active surface via the formation of zirconium phosphate coordinate covalent bonds. In a model study, the binding of short peptides containing zero to four phosphorylated serine units and a biotin end-group was assessed by surface plasmon resonance-enhanced ellipsometry (SPREE) as well as in a microarray format using fluorescence detection of AlexaFluor 647-labeled streptavidin. Significant binding to the zirconated surface was only observed in the case of the phosphopeptides, with the best performance, as judged by streptavidin capture, observed for peptides with three or four phosphorylation sites and when spotted at pH 3. When fusing similar phosphopeptide tags to the affinity protein, the presence of four phosphate groups in the tag allows efficient immobilization of the proteins and efficient capture of their target.

High Frequency Impedance Measurement as a Relevant Tool for Monitoring the Apatitic Cement Setting Reaction.

This work reports the development of a relevant and general method based on high frequency impedance measurements, for the in situ monitoring of the alpha-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) to calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite (CDA) transformation which is the driving force of the hardening processes of some calcium phosphate cements (CPC) used as bone substitutes. The three main steps of the setting reaction are identified in a non invasive way through the variation of dielectric permittivity and dielectric losses. The method is also likely to characterize the effect of the incorporation of additives (i.e, antiosteoporotic bisphosphonate drugs such as Alendronate) in the CPC formulation on the hydration process. It allows not only to confirm the retarding effect of bisphosphonate by an accurate determination of setting times, but also to assess the phenomena taking place whether alendronate is added in the liquid phase or combined to the solid phase of the cement composition. Compared to the conventional Gillmore needle test, the present method offers the advantage of accurate, user-independent, in situ and real-time determination of the initial and final times of the chemical hardening process, which are important parameters when considering surgical applications.

Engineering of a phosphorylatable tag for specific protein binding on zirconium phosphonate based microarrays.

A phosphorylatable tag was designed and fused at the C-terminal end of proteins, which allowed efficient and oriented immobilization of capture proteins on glass substrates coated with a zirconium phosphonate monolayer. The concept is demonstrated using Nanofitin directed against lysozyme. This peptide tag (DSDSSSEDE) contains four serines in an acidic environment, which favored its in vitro phosphorylation by casein kinase II. The resulting phosphate cluster at the C-terminal end of the protein provided a specific, irreversible, and multipoint attachment to the zirconium surface. In a microarray format, the high surface coverage led to high fluorescence signal after incubation with Alexa Fluor 647 labeled lysozyme. The detection sensitivity of the microarray for the labeled target was below 50 pM, owing to the exceptionally low background staining, which resulted in high fluorescence signal to noise ratios. The performance of this new anchoring strategy using a zirconium phosphonate modified surface compares favorably with that of other types of microarray substrates, such as nitrocellulose-based or epoxide slides, which bind proteins in a nonoriented way.

Characterization and properties of novel gallium-doped calcium phosphate ceramics.

Addition of a gallium (Ga) precursor in the typical reaction protocols used for the preparation of ß-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP) led to novel Ga-doped ß-TCP ceramics with rhombohedral structures (R3c space group). From the refinement of their X-ray diffraction patterns, it was found that the incorporation of Ga in the ß-TCP network occurs by substitution of one of the five calcium (Ca) sites, while occupation of another Ca site decreases in inverse proportion to the Ga content in the structure. The Ga local environment and the modification of the phosphorus environments due to the Ga/Ca substitution in Ga-doped ß-TCP compounds are probed using (31)P and (71)Ga magic-angle spinning NMR. A decrease of the unit cell volume is observed with increasing Ga content, together with improved mechanical properties. Indeed, the compressive strength of these new bioceramics is enhanced in direct proportion of the Ga content, up to a 2.6-fold increase as compared to pure ß-TCP.

Na-doped ß-tricalcium phosphate: physico-chemical and in vitro biological properties.

Synthetic calcium phosphate ceramics as ß-tricalcium phosphate (Ca(3)(PO(4))(2); ß-TCP) are currently successfully used in human bone surgery. The aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of the presence of sodium ion in ß-TCP on its mechanical and biological properties. Five Na-doped-ß-TCP [Ca(10.5-x/2)Na(x)(PO(4))(7), 0 ≤ x ≤ 1] microporous pellets were prepared via solid phase synthesis, and their physico-chemical data (lattice compacity, density, porosity, compressive strength, infrared spectra) denote an increase of the mechanical properties and a decrease of the solubility when the sodium content is raised. On the other hand, the in vitro study of MC3T3-E1 cell activity (morphology, MTS assay and ALP activity) shows that the incorporation of sodium does not modify the bioactivity of the ß-TCP. These results strongly suggest that Na-doped-ß-TCP appear to be good candidates for their use as bone substitutes.