Effect of Mg content on the bioactivity and biocompatibility of Mg-substituted fluorapatite nanopowders fabricated via mechanical activation

Abstract

The aim of this work was preparation, characterization, bioactivity and biocompatibility evaluation of Mg-substituted fluorapatite (Mg-FA) nanopowders. Mg-FA nanopowders with a chemical composition of Ca10-xMgx(PO4)(6)F-2, with x = 0, 0.5,1, and 2 were prepared by mechanically activated method. The in vitro bioactivity was investigated by soaking the powders in simulated body fluid (SBF) for various time periods to analyze the nucleation and growth of bone-like apatite on the surface of the samples. Cell viability and cell attachment were studied by MTT assay. Results indicated that the bioactivity of all of samples with different Mg content was improved compared with the pure FA. However, the mechanism of bioactivity is different and depends on the amount of Mg substitution. Finally, cell culture suggested that the addition of Mg2+ has no adverse effect and Mg-FA samples have good biocompatibility. The Mg-FA material shows potential in satisfying the requirements of biomedical applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.