Preliminary report on the biocompatibility of a moldable, resorbable, composite bone graft consisting of calcium phosphate cement and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres.

We have assessed the biocompatibility of a new composite bone graft consisting of calcium phosphate cement (CPC) and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres (approximate diameter of 0.18-0.36 mm) using cell culture techniques. CPC powder is mixed with PLGA microspheres and water to yield a workable paste that could be sculpted to fit the contours of a wound. The cement then hardens into a matrix of hydroxyapatite microcrystals containing PLGA microspheres. The rationale for this design is that the microspheres will initially stabilize the graft but can then degrade to leave behind macropores for colonization by osteoblasts. The CPC matrix could then be resorbed and replaced with new bone. In the present study, osteoblast-like cells (MC3T3-E1 cells) were seeded onto graft specimens and evaluated with fluorescence microscopy, environmental scanning electron microscopy and the Wst-1 assay (an enzymatic assay for mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity). Cells were able to adhere, attain a normal morphology, proliferate and remain viable when cultured on the new composite graft (CPC-PLGA) or on a control graft (CPC alone). These results suggest that our new cement consisting of CPC and PLGA microspheres is biocompatible. This is the first time that a 'polymer-in-mineral' (PLGA microspheres dispersed in a CPC matrix) cement has been formulated that is moldable, resorbable and that can form macropores after the cement has set.