Ti-Ce NANOSTRUCTURED MATERIALS FOR BONE TISSUE REGENERATION

GRAVINA ANABELA NOEL; D'ELÍA NOELIA LAURA; MESSINA PAULA VERÓNICA

Congreso; IV Congreso Argentino de Materia Blanda; 2012

Titanium (Ti) and its alloys are widely used in the manufacturing of dental and orthopedic implants due to its good mechanical properties, its bioinertness and because it can be extremely inert to corrosion (Albrektsson et al., 1983). However there are some areas of concern regarding the use of titanium. Some issues to be addressed in this regard include the long-term stability of hip joint prostheses (Brunette et al., 2001) and healing response as well as osseo-integration of dental implants. Altering the titanium surface can help in tackling these issues (Rautray et al., 2011) Furthermore, it has been shown that the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a key factor to modulate bone cell function and that oxidation states noticeably influence the physiology of bone mineralization. Manipulation of redox balance in bone cells is therefore a new approach to the design of therapies to treat bone disorders (Wauquier et al., 2009). Recently nanoparticles of cerium oxide (nanoceria) were highlighted as potential biomedical materials because of their unique ability to switch between oxidation states (from III to IV) according to environmental conditions. This ability is comparable to that of biological antioxidants (Karakotti et al, 2008). Based on these two facts, nanostructured materials based on Ti-modified with cerium oxide were synthesized and characterized. The aim of this study is to combine the mechanical strength of Ti with the redox properties of Ce, to create a novel material with superior characteristics applicable to construction of bone tissue implants.