Novel tricalcium silicate/magnesium phosphate composite bone cement having high compressive strength, in vitro bioactivity and cytocompatibility.

Although inorganic bone cements such as calcium phosphate cements have been widely applied in orthopaedic and dental fields because of their self-setting ability, development of high-strength bone cement with bioactivity and biodegradability remains a major challenge. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to prepare a tricalcium silicate/magnesium phosphate (C3S/MPC) composite bone cement, which is intended to combine the excellent bioactivity of C3S with remarkable self-setting properties and mechanical strength of MPC. The self-setting and mechanical properties, in vitro induction of apatite formation and degradation behaviour, and cytocompatibility of the composite cements were investigated. Our results showed that the C3S/MPC composite cement with an optimal composition had compressive strength up to 87 MPa, which was significantly higher than C3S (25 MPa) and MPC (64 MPa). The setting time could be adjusted between 3 min and 29 min with the variation of compositions. The hydraulic reaction products of the C3S/MPC composite cement were composed of calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) derived from the hydration of C3S and gel-like amorphous substance. The C3S/MPC composite cements could induce apatite mineralization on its surface in SBF solution and degraded gradually in Tris-HCl solution. Besides, the composite cements showed good cytocompatibility and stimulatory effect on the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cells. Our results indicated that the C3S/MPC composite bone cement might be a new promising high-strength inorganic bioactive material which may hold the potential for bone repair in load-bearing site.