Biomedical subjects

E Verné

Publications and source records attributed to E Verné.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Macroporous bioactive glass-ceramic scaffolds for tissue engineering.

Highly bioactive scaffolds for tissue engineering were synthesized using a glass belonging to the SiO2-CaO-K2O (SCK) system. The glass SCK was prepared by a traditional melting-quenching route and its bioactivity was assessed by in vitro tests in a simulated body fluid (SBF). The glass was ground and sieved to obtain powders of specific size that were subsequently mixed with polyethylene particles of two different dimensions. The powders were then uniaxially pressed to obtain a crack free green compact that was thermally treated to remove the organic component and to sinter the inorganic phase. The obtained biomaterial was characterised by means of X-ray Diffraction, SEM equipped with EDS, mercury intrusion porosimetry, density measurements, image analysis, mechanical tests and in vitro evaluations. A glass-ceramic macroporous scaffold with a homogenously distributed and highly interconnected porosity was obtained. The amount and size of the introduced porosity could be tailored using various amounts of polyethylene powders of different size.

Biocompatible Materials↗

PubMed2006

Development of glass-ceramic scaffolds for bone tissue engineering: characterisation, proliferation of human osteoblasts and nodule formation.

Glass-ceramic macroporous scaffolds for tissue engineering have been developed using a polyurethane sponge template and bioactive glass powders. The starting glass (CEL2) belongs to the system SiO(2)-P(2)O(5)-CaO-MgO-Na(2)O-K(2)O and has been synthesised by a conventional melting-quenching route. A slurry of CEL2 powder, polyvinyl alcohol and water has been prepared in order to coat, by impregnation, the polymeric template. An optimised thermal treatment was then use to remove the sponge and to sinter the glass powders, leading to a glass-ceramic replica of the template. Morphological observations, image analyses, mechanical tests and in vitro tests showed that the obtained devices are good candidates as scaffolds for bone-tissue engineering, in terms of pore-size distribution, pore interconnection, surface roughness, and both bioactivity and biocompatibility. In particular, a human osteoblast cell line (MG-63) seeded onto the scaffold after a standardised preconditioning route in simulated body fluid showed a high degree of cell proliferation and a good ability to produce calcium nodules. The obtained results were enhanced by the addition of bone morphogenetic proteins after cell seeding.

Biocompatible Materials↗

PubMed2005

The influence of crystallised Fe3O4 on the magnetic properties of coprecipitation-derived ferrimagnetic glass-ceramics.

Ferrimagnetic glass-ceramics are potential candidates for magnetic induction hyperthermia, which is one form of inducing deep-regional hyperthermia, by using a magnetic field. The aim of this work was to analyse the influence of the amount of crystallised magnetite on the magnetic properties of glass-ceramic samples. Thus, two different ferrimagnetic glass-ceramics with the composition of the system Na(2)O-CaO-SiO(2)-P(2)O(5)-FeO-Fe(2)O(3) were prepared by melting at 1500 degrees C for 30 min of the coprecipitation-derived starting products. The X-ray diffraction patterns show the presence of nanometric magnetite crystals in a glassy matrix after cooling from melting temperature. The estimated amount of crystallised magnetite varies between 20 and 45 wt.%, as a function of the chemical composition. The morphology of the crystals was studied by scanning electron micrography and transmission electron micrography. Glass transition temperature and thermal stability were investigated by differential thermal analysis. Magnetic hysteresis cycles were analysed using a vibrating sample magnetometer with a maximum applied field of 17 kOe, at room temperature, in quasi-static conditions. Calorimetric measurements were carried out using a magnetic induction furnace. The power losses estimated from calorimetric measurements under a magnetic field of 40 kA/m and 440 kHz are 65 W/g for the glass-ceramic with lower iron oxides content and 25 W/g for the glass-ceramic with higher iron oxide content.

Biocompatible Materials↗

PubMed2005

SiO2-CaO-K2O coatings on alumina and Ti6Al4V substrates for biomedical applications.

Alumina and Ti6Al4V alloys are widely used for orthopedics and dental applications due to their good mechanical properties and biocompatibility. Unfortunately they can not provide a satisfactory osteointegration when implanted. In fact, both alumina and Ti6Al4V are not bioactive and thus they can only guarantee a morphological fixation with the surrounding tissues without a suitable chemical anchorage. Aiming to impart bioactive properties to these materials a coating can be proposed. At this purpose, a bioactive glass belonging to the SiO2-CaO-K2O system was selected and prepared. This glass, named SCK, possess a thermal expansion coefficient matching with the alumina (8.5x 10(- 6)/ degrees C) and Ti6Al4V (9 x 10(- 6)/ degrees C) ones and thus is a good candidate to produce coatings on both of them. Simple and low-cost enameling and glazing techniques were used to realize the coatings. Structural, morphological and compositional characterizations of the coatings were carried out by means of X-ray diffraction, optical and scanning microscopy and compositional analyses. The in vitro properties of the coatings were investigated by soaking them in a simulated body fluid (SBF) in order to study the precipitation, on their surfaces, of a biologically active layer of hydroxylapatite (HAp).

Alloys↗

PubMed2004

Macroporous glass-ceramic materials with bioactive properties.

In the present research work, glass powders and three different organic starches were used to realize macroporous glass-ceramic scaffolds for bone substitutions. For this purpose, bioactive glass powders belonging to the system SiO2-CaO-Na2O-MgO were mixed in a liquid medium with the desired amount of the selected organic phase. Afterwards, by progressively raising the temperature, the water uptake of starches occurred and led to the gelling of the whole system. The resultant gel underwent two thermal treatments in order to eliminate the organic phase and to allow the sintering of the glassy phase. In this way, macroporous glass-ceramic scaffolds were successfully prepared. The samples were characterized by means of optical and scanning electron microscopy with compositional analysis. The volume and mean size of the obtained porosity were investigated by means of mercury intrusion porosimetry, whereas its morphology was assessed by means of microscopic observations. The structure of the original and the resultant materials were investigated by X-ray diffraction. In order to study the reactivity of the scaffolds towards physiological media, the samples were soaked in a simulated body fluid for various times. On their soaked surfaces, scanning electron microscopy and compositional analysis were carried out in order to assess their bioactivity.

Body Fluids↗

PubMed2001

Biological glass coating on ceramic materials: in vitro evaluation using primary osteoblast cultures from healthy and osteopenic rat bone.

ZrO2 and Al2O3 substrates were successfully coated by a double layer of a silica-based glass named RKKP, using a low-cost firing technique. RKKP is a glass well known for its bioactivity; therefore, a RKKP coating on Al2O3 or ZrO2, allows to combine the excellent mechanical properties of these strong ceramic substrates with its bioactivity. ZrO2 samples were easily coated using a double layer of RKKP by a simple enamelling technique. To accommodate the thermal expansion coefficient mismatch between Al2O3 and RK K P, this substrate was coated using a multilayered composite approach. All of the coatings were characterised from a morphological and compositional point of view, and an extensive biological evaluation was performed using fresh rat osteoblasts. Osteoblast primary cultures were derived from the trabecular bone of femoral condyles harvested from intact (NB) and osteopenic (OB) rats. After characterisation of their phenotype, osteoblasts were seeded on material samples of ZrO2 or Al2O3 coated with RKKP, and cultured for 7 days. Cell proliferation (MTT test) and cell differentiation (alkaline phosphatase activity) were evaluated at the end of the experiment, to assess osteoblast behaviour in the presence of biomaterials and determine if the results were related to the host bone quality. Results of both materials showed a good level of biocompatibility. In particular, MTT significant higher values were detected in NB cultures on ZrO2-RKKP samples; ALP activity significantly increased in NB cultures on Al2O3-RKKP and in OB cultures on both coated samples.

Aluminum Oxide↗

PubMed2000

Glass-matrix biocomposites.

CaO-SiO(2) base glass-matrix/Ti particle biocomposite coatings on Ti6Al4V substrates have been prepared by means of Vacuum Plasma Spray. The base glass is considered bioactive, because, when soaked in a fluid that simulates the inorganic ion concentration of human plasma (SBF), it develops a bonelike apatite layer on its surface. The aim of this research activity was to toughen this brittle bioactive material and to broaden its biomedical applications. Pure titanium was chosen as toughening phase because of its well-known biocompatibility, and Ti6Al4V alloy as substrate because of both its biocompatibility and its mechanical reliability. At first the composites were prepared as bulk materials, by means of a simple sintering process. Then, by ball-milling the sintered composite, the as-obtained "composite powders" were sprayed by Vacuum Plasma Spray (VPS) on the substrate. By means of Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), the characteristic temperatures of the base glasses were determined. The thermal properties of mixtures of glass powders and different vol% Ti particles were studied by means of DTA, DSC, hot-stage microscopy, and dilatometry, with the aim of optimizing the sintering conditions. Both the bulk and the coated samples have been characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), compositional analysis (EDS), Vickers indentations, and leaching tests after soaking in a simulated body fluid (SBF).

Alloys↗

PubMed2000

Coatings on zirconia for medical applications.

In order to combine the mechanical properties of a high-strength inert ceramic (yttria-stabilised zirconia, ZrO2-3%Y2O3, defined as zirconia in the text) with the specific properties of bioactive materials, some zirconia samples were coated by two bioactive phosphosilicate glasses and glass-ceramics: RKKP and AP40. Coatings of about 200-300 microm thickness were prepared by a simple and low-cost firing method. They were characterised by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and compositional analysis (EDS). The adhesion of the coatings on zirconia was tested by shear tests. Vickers indentations at the coating/zirconia interface were performed in order to observe the crack propagation path. The reactivity of glasses and glass-ceramics coatings towards a simulated body fluid (SBF), having the same ion concentration as that of human plasma, was evaluated and compared to that of the bulk glass and glass-ceramics, by examining the morphology of the reaction layer formed on the surface of the coated zirconia after one month of soaking in the SBF at 37 degrees C.

Biocompatible Materials↗