Development and characterization of a xenograft material from New Zealand sourced bovine cancellous bone.

A xenograft (bovine hydroxyapatite [BHA]) was developed from New Zealand sourced bovine cancellous bone by a successful defatting and deproteinizing procedure. The BHA was chemically, compositionally and structurally characterized. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the removal of organic matter from the bone matrix and the presence of carbonate ( CO32-), hydroxyl (OH- ), and phosphate ( PO43-) functional groups. X-ray diffraction analysis suggested that the processed bone corresponds characteristically to hydroxyapatite (HA). SEM analysis showed that the BHA has an interconnected porous architecture with a pore diameter ranging from 100 to 700 μm while µCT analysis calculated the total porosity as 73.46% ± 1.08. Furthermore, the BHA was stable up to 1000°C and lost only 1.8% of its weight. The Ca/P molar ratio of the BHA was 1.58, which is comparable with commercially available natural HA-Endobon® . After 28 days of incubation in simulated body fluid (SBF), the pH value only fluctuated between 7.1 and 7.5 and the BHA scaffold did not degrade significantly by weight indicating the scaffold had excellent chemical and structural stability. In vitro studies showed the BHA was cytocompatible and supported the proliferative growth of Saos-2 osteoblast cells.