Amorphous calcium phosphate nanospheres/polylactide composite coated tantalum scaffold: Facile preparation, fast biomineralization and subchondral bone defect repair application

Calcium phosphate (CaP) materials are widely used in various biomedical areas such as drug/gene delivery and bone repair/tissue engineering. In this study, amorphous CaP nanospheres synthesized by a simple co-precipitation method are used to prepare the CaP-polylactide (CaP-PLA) composite. Then, the as-prepared CaP-PLA composite is used to coat tantalum (Ta) plates and porous scaffolds. Compared with bare Ta plate, CaP-PLA coated Ta plates show a high performance of surface biomineralization in simulated body fluid (SBF). In addition, the hydrophilicity of the CaP-PLA coated Ta plates is significantly improved. CaP-PLA coated Ta plates with bovine serum albumin (BSA) are prepared and used for the investigation of BSA release in vitro. The experimental results indicate a sustained BSA release property and simultaneous biomineralization of the as-prepared BSA-containing CaP-PLA coated Ta plates. Furthermore, CaP-PLA coated Ta scaffolds are favorable for the human osteoblast-like MG63 cells adhesion and spreading. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-containing CaP-PLA coated porous Ta scaffolds are used for the study of rabbit subchondral bone defect repair, covering with autogeneic periosteums. The as-prepared CaP-PLA composite coated Ta scaffolds are useful to guide the bone regeneration in vivo.