O-Carboxymethyl−Chitin Concentration in Granulocytes during Bone Repair

Peroral and intravenous administrations of 14C-labeled carboxymethyl−chitin (CM−chitin) revealed that CM−chitin accumulated in bone marrow. Thus, a composite of CM−chitin with hydroxyapatite (HA) was prepared to examine the bone repairing properties by animal and cell line experiments. The new bone formation of CM−chitin·HA composite was superior to that of CM−chitin, HA, and blank. A porous CM−chitin·HA composite is a functional material which could act as a scaffolding of osteoblast-like cells, a barrier to ingrowth of fibrous connective tissues. The cytotoxicity of CM−chitin was evaluated using the MC3T3-E1 cell line, and we found that control of degree of deacetylation is a very important factor in using CM−chitin as bone repairing material.