Studies On Repair Of Bone Defect By Calcium Phosphate Cement Reinforced By Chitosan Fiber And Gelatin

Objective Calcium phosphate cement is emerging as a new family of resorbable bone substitutes since the middle eighties. However, problems such as nearly non resorption, poor mechanical properties which may limit its clinical application are still encountered. The purposes of the present study, therefore, were to characterize a novel biomaterial consisted of calcium phosphate, chitosan fiber and gelatin, and to investigate its probability of orthopaedics application.Methods (1)Scanning electron microscopy observation, density, degree of swelling and tensile strength measurements were performed to characterize chitosan fiber, the in vitro degradation was carried out by immersing fiber in buffered aqueous solution of pH 6 containing lysozyme at 37°C, while the in vivo degradation was studied by intramuscular implanting fiber in a rat model. Furthermore, rat bone marrow stromal cells were directly cultured over fiber to estimate its toxicity. (2) Two different cement formulations were prepared by mixing calcium phosphate cement powder with 5 wt% gelatin and distilled water, respectively.