The Effects of Crystal Phase and Particle Morphology of Calcium Phosphates on Proliferation and Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells

Calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramics are extensively used for bone regeneration; however, their clinical performance is still considered inferior to that of patient's own bone. To improve the performance of CaP bone graft substitutes, it is important to understand the effects of their individual properties on a biological response. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the crystal phase and particle morphology on the behavior of human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs). To study the effect of the crystal phase, brushite, monetite, and octacalcium phosphate (OCP) are produced by controlling the precipitation conditions. Brushite and monetite are produced as plate-shaped and as needle-shaped particles, to further investigate the effect of particle morphology. Proliferation of hMSCs is inhibited on OCP as compared to brushite and monetite in either morphology. Brushite needles consistently show the lowest expression of most osteogenic markers, whereas the expression on OCP is in general high. There is a trend toward a higher expression of the osteogenic markers on plate-shaped than on needle-shaped particles for both brushite and monetite. Within the limits of CaP precipitation, these data indicate the effect of both crystal phase and particle morphology of CaPs on the behavior of hMSCs.