Porous Ceramics Based on Substituted Tricalcium Phosphates for Bone Tissue Recovery

Abstract

The results of studies concerning ceramics made of substituted (silver, zinc, copper, iron) tricalcium phosphate (TCP) powders are presented. It is shown that the pores in the obtained ceramics are interrelated, the size of macropores ranges from 200 to 400 μm, the size of micropores ranges from 1 to 5 μm, and there are nanopores between the ceramic grains. Such pore sizes can provide the penetration of biological fluxes and cells required for the subsequent formation and growth of new bone tissue into the ceramic matrix. According to the solubility in the physiological solution, the ceramics composed of cation-substituted TCP can be arranged in the following order: Ag ≈ Fe < Cu < Zn. According to the results of studies on the antimicrobial activity with respect to a strain of E. coli bacteria, it has been established that cation-substituted TCPs exhibit a pronounced antimicrobial activity. The highest antimicrobial activity has been shown by the samples of zinc-substituted TCP.