Title:Improving Bovine Bone Mechanical Characteristics for the Development of Xenohybrid Bone Grafts
Volume: 19
Issue: 12
Author(s): Alberto Cingolani, Carlo Francesco Grottoli, Raffaella Esposito, Tomaso Villa, Filippo Rossi and Giuseppe Perale*
Affiliation:
- Industrie Biomediche Insubri SA (IBI), Via Cantonale 67, 6805 Mezzovico- Vira,Switzerland
Keywords:
Hard tissues regeneration, xenografts, tissue engineering, biomaterials, bovine bone, biopolymers.
Abstract: Background: The further functionalization of natural existing biomaterials is a very efficient
method to introduce additional advanced characteristics on a unique structural composition and
architecture.
Objective: As an example, different animal sources, if properly treated, can be used to develop bone
xenograft active in hard tissues regeneration. In this sense, it is also important to consider that the selected
process has to take into consideration the intrinsic variability of the base material itself and possibly
being able to compensate for it.
Methods: In this work we characterize cancellous bovine bone treated by deposition of polymer and
collagen and we show that the added components not only lead to a more resistant and more hydrophilic
material, but also reduce the conventional correlation between apparent density and elastic modulus,
which, in general, is a major source of uncertainty and risk in xenografts usage.
Results: Moreover, though intrinsically reinforcing the material, the deposition process leaves the specific
open-porous structure, that allows cells proliferation and vessels ingrowth, basically unaltered.
Conclusion: The final material combines in a single piece and at the same time, mechanical resistance,
homogeneous mechanical response and proper structural characteristics that allow further integration
within the patient autochthonous tissues.
