Scientists developed New Prospective Biomaterial for Bone Formation

Scientists at Jadavpur University in the month of June 2013 discovered that zinc-doped hydroxyapatite (HAP) which is a calcium phosphate-based bioceramic material has a stimulatory effect on bone formation.

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) is actually one of calcium phosphate-based bioceramic materials which form most of the inorganic components of human bones and teeth. It was also found that the bonding with bone was better for zinc-doped bicalcium phosphate than conventional ceramics.

The benefit of Zinc is that it act to improve biological properties of synthetic HAP thus decreasing the inflammatory response and has an antibacterial effect.

The scientists while synthesizing zinc doped Hap powder at Jadavpur Universityhave also observed that it exhibits high compressive strength and hardness than the conventional HAP.

The scientists have witnessed the pronounced new bone formation in doped HAP with the implantation on the tibia of an adult New Zealand rabbit for two months. The formation of osteons around zinc-doped HAP was also confirmed by the Histopathology.

The scientists at Jadavpur University are also developing materials (composition of HAP and beta Tricalcium phosphate) doped with zinc which can be used for bone grafting.