Calcification mechanism and bony bonding studies of calcium carbonate and composite aluminosilicate/calcium phosphate applied as biomaterials by using radioactivation methods

Bony grafts are used as a filling biomaterial for defective bone. The introduction of new range of synthetic materials offers to surgeons additional possibilities to avoid virus transmission risks by using natural grafts in bony surgery. In this work, two materials, synthetic calcium carbonate and composite aluminosilicate/calcium phosphate were synthesized by an original method and experimented “in vivo” as biomaterials for bony filling. Extracted biopsies were studied by several physico chemical and biological methods. The aim was to evaluate the kinetic resorption and bioconsolidation of these materials. We focused on the bioconsolidation between implant and bone by realising cartographies from the implant to the bone and on the calcification mechanism by determination of the origin of Ca and Sr responsible of the neo-formed bone. Neutron activation analysis (NAA), radiotracers 45Ca* and 85Sr* and proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) were used. Concerning the synthetic calcium carbonate, results show that twelve months after implantation, the mineral composition of implant becomes similar to that of the mature bone. The neoformed bone is composed with Ca and Sr coming from the organism when the Ca and Sr of the implant were progressively eliminated. Concerning the composite geopolymer/calcium phosphate, PIXE and histological studies reveal the intimate links between the bone and the implant starting with the first month after implantation.