Magnesium-Rich Calcium Phosphate Derived from Tilapia Bone Has Superior Osteogenic Potential

We extracted magnesium-rich calcium phosphate bioceramics from tilapia bone using a gradient thermal treatment approach and investigated their chemical and physicochemical properties. X-ray diffraction showed that tilapia fish bone-derived hydroxyapatite (FHA) was generated through the first stage of thermal processing at 600–800 °C. Using FHA as a precursor, fish bone biphasic calcium phosphate (FBCP) was produced after the second stage of thermal processing at 900–1200 °C. The beta-tricalcium phosphate content in the FBCP increased with an increasing calcination temperature. The fact that the lattice spacing of the FHA and FBCP was smaller than that of commercial hydroxyapatite (CHA) suggests that Mg-substituted calcium phosphate was produced via the gradient thermal treatment. Both the FHA and FBCP contained considerable quantities of magnesium, with the FHA having a higher concentration. In addition, the FHA and FBCP, particularly the FBCP, degraded faster than the CHA. After one day of degradation, both the FHA and FBCP released Mg(2+), with cumulative amounts of 4.38 mg/L and 0.58 mg/L, respectively. Furthermore, the FHA and FBCP demonstrated superior bone-like apatite formation; they are non-toxic and exhibit better osteoconductive activity than the CHA. In light of our findings, bioceramics originating from tilapia bone appear to be promising in biomedical applications such as fabricating tissue engineering scaffolds.