In vitro and in vivo evaluation of strontium-containing nanostructured carbonated hydroxyapatite/sodium alginate for sinus lift in rabbits

Various synthetic bone substitutes have been developed to reconstruct bone defects. One of the most prevalent ceramics in bone treatment is hydroxyapatite (HA) that is a useful material as bone substitute, however, with a low rate of biodegradation. Its structure allows isomorphic cationic and anionic substitutions to be easily introduced, which can alter the crystallinity, morphology, biocompatibility, and osteoconductivity. The objective of this study was to investigate the in vitro and in vivo biological responses to strontium-containing nanostructured carbonated HA/sodium alginate (SrCHA) spheres (425<ϕ <600 μm) that were used for sinus lifts in rabbits using nanostructured carbonated HA/sodium alginate (CHA) as a reference. Cytocompatibility was determined using a multiparametric assay after exposing murine preosteoblasts to the extracts of these materials. Twelve male and female rabbits underwent bilateral sinus lift procedures and were divided into two groups (CHA or SrCHA) and in two experimental periods (4 and 12 weeks), for microscopic and histomorphometric analyses. The in vitro test revealed the overall viability of the cells exposed to the CHA and SrCHA extracts; thus, these extracts were considered cytocompatible, which was confirmed by three different parameters in the in vitro tests. The histological analysis showed chronic inflammation with a prevalence of macrophages around the CHA spheres after 4 weeks, and this inflammation decreased after 12 weeks. Bone formation was observed in both groups, and smaller quantities of SrCHA spheres were observed after 12 weeks, indicating greater bioresorption of SrCHA than CHA. SrCHA spheres are biocompatible and osteoconductive and undergo bioresorption earlier than CHA spheres. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 104B: 274–282, 2016.