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A comparative study of zirconium and titanium implants in rat: osseointegration and bone material quality

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Abstract

Permanent metal implants are widely used in human medical treatments and orthopedics, for example as hip joint replacements. They are commonly made of titanium alloys and beyond the optimization of this established material, it is also essential to explore alternative implant materials in view of improved osseointegration. The aim of our study was to characterize the implant performance of zirconium in comparison to titanium implants. Zirconium implants have been characterized in a previous study concerning material properties and surface characteristics in vitro, such as oxide layer thickness and surface roughness. In the present study, we compare bone material quality around zirconium and titanium implants in terms of osseointegration and therefore characterized bone material properties in a rat model using a multi-method approach. We used light and electron microscopy, micro Raman spectroscopy, micro X-ray fluorescence and X-ray scattering techniques to investigate the osseointegration in terms of compositional and structural properties of the newly formed bone. Regarding the mineralization level, the mineral composition, and the alignment and order of the mineral particles, our results show that the maturity of the newly formed bone after 8 weeks of implantation is already very high. In conclusion, the bone material quality obtained for zirconium implants is at least as good as for titanium. It seems that the zirconium implants can be a good candidate for using as permanent metal prosthesis for orthopedic treatments.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank C. Li, S. Siegel, I. Zenke, and B. Schonert for technical support, the Max Planck Gesellschaft (MPG), the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for funding. Contributions were made possible by DFG funding through the Berlin-Brandenburg School for Regenerative Therapies. As well, we would like to thank A. Cisilino, B. Valcarce, M. Valdes (INTEMA, UNMdP), and C. Perez (LNLS), for the grateful help in different areas of this study and the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS). We also want to thank the National Research Council of Argentina (CONICET), the National Agency for Science and Technology Promotion (ANPCyT - PICT 00550 and 0917), and the National University of Mar del Plata (UNMdP - 15/G331) for financial support. We especially want to thank the PROALAR exchange program (DAAD funding together with MINCyT, Argentina) for enabling the exchanges between our institutes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomaterials, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, 14424, Potsdam, Germany

    Rebecca M. Hoerth & Wolfgang Wagermaier

  2. INTEMA - CONICET - Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Juan B. Justo 4302, B7608FDQ, Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    María R. Katunar, Andrea Gomez Sanchez, Silvia M. Ceré & Josefina Ballarre

  3. Traumatología y Ortopedia, Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos “Oscar Alende”, Mar del Plata, Argentina

    Juan C. Orellano

  4. Berlin-Brandenburg School of Regenerative Therapies (BSRT) at Charité Campus Virchow-Klinikum, 13353, Berlin, Germany

    Rebecca M. Hoerth

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  1. Rebecca M. Hoerth
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Correspondence to Josefina Ballarre.

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Fig. S1

Results for the SAXS measurements performed with the same samples as in Fig. 5 but within the epiphysis (TIFF 2709 kb)

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Hoerth, R.M., Katunar, M.R., Gomez Sanchez, A. et al. A comparative study of zirconium and titanium implants in rat: osseointegration and bone material quality. J Mater Sci: Mater Med 25, 411–422 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-013-5074-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-013-5074-3

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