Human osteoblasts adhesion and proliferation on magnesium-substituted tricalcium phosphate dense tablets

Tricalcium phosphate (TCP) is recognized as a promising bone replacement material due to its high bioactivity and resorbable properties. To mimic biological apatites, incorporation of magnesium (Mg) in TCP was proposed. Mg-substituted TCP (β-TCMP) and β-TCP dense tablets were obtained by pressing and sintering at 1,000°C Mg-substituted calcium deficient apatite (Mg-CDA) and commercial TCP, respectively. The materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and electron microscopy. Human osteoblast cells (SaOs2) were seeded onto the sintered tablets for 4 h, 24 h and 7 days. Results showed that Mg-CDA was completely transformed into β-TCMP. Moreover, β-TCMP stimulated adhesion and proliferation of human osteoblast cells. Consequently, the magnesium incorporation on calcium deficient apatites followed by sintering at 1,000°C seems to be a useful path to obtain biocompatible and non cytotoxic dense tablets with TCP structure with potential application on bone engineering.