Performance of Nano-Hydroxyapatite/Beta-Tricalcium Phosphate and Xenogenic Hydroxyapatite on Bone Regeneration in Rat Calvarial Defects: Histomorphometric, Immunohistochemical and Ultrastructural Analysis

BACKGROUND: Synthetic biomaterials have played an increasingly prominent role in the substitution of naturally derived biomaterials in current surgery practice. In vitro and in vivo characterization studies of new synthetic biomaterials are essential to analyze their physicochemical properties and the underlying mechanisms associated with the modulation of the inflammatory process and bone healing. PURPOSE: This study compares the in vivo tissue behavior of a synthetic biomaterial nano-hydroxyapatite/beta-tricalcium phosphate (nano-HA/ß-TCP mixture) and deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM) in a rat calvarial defect model. The innovation of this work is in the comparative analysis of the effect of new synthetic and commercially xenogenic biomaterials on the inflammatory response, bone matrix gain, and stimulation of osteoclastogenesis and osteoblastogenesis. METHODS: Both biomaterials were inserted in rat defects. The animals were divided into three groups, in which calvarial defects were filled with xenogenic biomaterials (group 1) and synthetic biomaterials (group 2), or left unfilled (group 3, controls). Sixty days after calvarial bone defects filled with biomaterials, periodic acid Schiff (PAS) and Masson’s trichrome staining, immunohistochemistry tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and electron microscopy analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Histomorphometric analysis revealed powerful effects such as a higher amount of proteinaceous matrix and higher levels of TNF-α and MMP-9 in bone defects treated with alloplastic nano-HA/ß-TCP mixture than xenogenicxenogic biomaterial, as well as collagen-proteinaceous material in association with hydroxyapatite crystalloids. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that the synthetic nano-HA/ß-TCP mixture enhanced bone formation/remodeling in rat calvarial bone defects. The nano-HA/ß-TCP did not present risks of cross-infection/disease transmission. The synthetic nano-hydroxyapatite/beta-tricalcium phosphate mixture presented adequate properties for guided bone regeneration and guided tissue regeneration for dental surgical procedures.