Natural hydroxyapatite

Nevertheless, fluoride does lead to a reduction in the solubility of hydroxyapatite in aqueous solution, even in the absence of trace levels of fluoride in solution, and hence can be seen to have an effect in the solid state as well [57], Apatites are complex and diverse materials which have the general formula Caio(P04)eX2 (X = F, Cl, OH) and they represent a crystallographic system, in which there can be considerable replacement of species. Thus, with little or no change in the dimensions of the crystal lattice, there can be exchanges of OH for F, Ca + for Sr +, and PO4 for CO and all of these are known to occur in biological systems. Natural hydroxyapatite, for example, is often partially carbonate substituted [58]. 

Natural hydroxyapatite from Gerlos, Zillerthalen, in the Austrian Alps, was supplied by the Stanford University Department of Geology. The calcium phosphate used was Baker A. R. Grade. 

Venkatesan, J., Qian,Z.-J., Ryu, B., Ashok Kumar, N., and Kim, S.-K. (2011a). Preparation and characterization of carbon nanotube-grafted-chitosan— Natural hydroxyapatite composite for bone tissue engineering. Carbohydr. Polym. 83,569-577. 

The use of this class of materials is based on the premise that a more natural hydroxyapatite (HA-like) could act as a scaffold for enhanced bone response — osseointegration — and thereby minimize the long-term healing periods currently required for uncoated metal implants. 

Haberko K, Bucko M, Brzezinska-Miecznik B (2006) Natural hydroxyapatite - its behavior during heat treatment. J Eur Ceram Soc 26 537-542... 

A material used in dentistry must have properties that maximize both patient comfort and the lifetime of the implant. Dental fillings and tooth replacements must be re.sistant to adds, for example, because many foods (such as citrus fruits and soft drinks) contain acids directly. Any food containing carbohydrates can produce acids, though, if traces are left in the mouth because the bacteria that reside there consume carbohydrates, producing acids in the process. These acids eat away at the natural hydroxyapatite in teeth, creating caries (cavities). Materials like dental amalgam, gold, and dental composite resist attack by acids in the mouth. 

Hydroxyapatite, Ca2Q(PO (OH)2, may be regarded as the parent member of a whole series of stmcturaHy related calcium phosphates that can be represented by the formula M2q(ZO X2, where M is a metal or H O" Z is P, As, Si, Ga, S, or Cr and X is OH, F, Cl, Br, 1/2 CO, etc. The apatite compounds all exhibit the same type of hexagonal crystal stmcture. Included are a series of naturally occurring minerals, synthetic salts, and precipitated hydroxyapatites. Highly substituted apatites such as FrancoHte, Ca2Q(PO (C02) (F,0H)2, are the principal component of phosphate rock used for the production of both wet-process and furnace-process phosphoric acid. 

There are a number of questions that must be answered ia order to maximize the beaefits of hydroxyapatite, eg, how thick the coatiag should be how should the coatiag be appHed to the implant is the chemical composition oa the implant the same as before the appHcatioa what is the nature of the titanium or titanium aHoy hydroxyapatite interface, how strong is it, and by what means is it bonded and what is the interfacial microstmcture ... 

Similarly, a composite of hydroxyapatite and a network formed via cross-linking of chitosan and gelatin with glutaraldehyde was developed by Yin et al. [ 169]. A porous material, with similar organic-inorganic constituents to that of natural bone, was made by the sol-gel method. The presence of hydroxyapatite did not retard the formation of the chitosan-gelatin network. On the other hand, the polymer matrix had hardly any influence on the high crystallinity of hydroxyapatite. 

By far the most abundant phosphate mineral is apatite, which accounts for more than 95% of all P in the Earth s crust. The basic composition of apatite is listed in Table 14-2. Apatite exhibits a hexagonal crystal structure with long open channels parallel to the c-axis. In its pure form, F , OH , or Cl occupies sites along this axis to form fluorapatite, hydroxyapatite, or chlor-apatite, respectively. However, because of the "open" nature of the apatite crystal lattice, many minor substitutions are possible and "pure" forms of apatite as depicted by the general formula in Table 14-2 are rarely found. 

The precise nature of the adhesion of the polyelectrolyte cements to untreated dental enamel and dentine has yet to be established. The earliest theory was due to Smith (1968) who speculated that the polyacrylate chains of the cement formed a chelate with calcium ions contained in the hydroxyapatite-like mineral in enamel and dentine. Beech (1973) considered this unhkely since it involved the formation of an eight-membered ring. Beech studied the interaction between PAA and hydroxyapatite, identified the formation of polyacrylate and so considered that adsorption was due to ionic attraction. 

Roy, D. M. Linnehan, S. Hydroxyapatite Formed from Coral Skeleton Carbonate by Hydrothermal Exchange. Nature (London) 1974,247, 220. 

There are several reports on the coating of bone-like hydroxyapatite onto natural polymer substrates. Kawashita et at. [57] reported that carboxymethylated chitin and gellan gum gels, which have carboxyl groups, can form hydroxyapatite on their surfaces in SBF if they are treated with a saturated Ca(OH)2 solution in advance, while curdlan gel, which has no carboxyl group, does not form hydroxyapatite in SBF, even if it is treated with Ca(OH)2 solution. These results support the hypothesis that carboxyl groups induce hydroxyapatite nucleation. Kokubo et at. [58,59] reported that non-woven fabrics of carboxymethylated chitin and alginate fibers also form hydroxyapatite on their surfaces in SBF if they are treated with Ca(OH)2 solution. 

The composition and nature of the hydroxyapatite can also be changed by modification of the solutions. Kim et al. [69] reported that both the Ca/P atomic ratio and the lattice constant c of the formed hydroxyapatite decrease with increasing ion... 

CCP in milk is mentioned in connection with casein above (Section VI.C). Fluorapatite is a major constituent of phosphate rocks, and a constituent, probably important, of human tooth enamel for those whose drinking water contains significant amounts of naturally occurring or added fluoride. Fluorapatite is significantly less soluble than hydroxyapatite - the relationship between the solubilities of fluorapatite and hydroxyapatite parallels (but is much less extreme than) that between calcium fluoride (Ksp — 3.9 x 10 11 mol3 dm-9) and calcium hydroxide (Ksp = 7.9 x 10 6 mol3 dm 9). Calcium diphosphate, Ca2P207, is believed to be the least soluble of the calcium phosphates. 

Hicks and Riley [287] have described a method for determining the natural levels of nucleic acids in lake and seawaters, which involves preconcentration by adsorption onto a hydroxyapatite, elution of the nucleic acids, and then photometric determination of the ribose obtained from them by hydrolysis. 

Hydroxyapatite occurs naturally as a mineral in phosphate rock and also constitutes the mineral portion of bone. It may also be used to fractionate protein by chromatography. 

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