Basic properties of calcium phosphate cement containing atelocollagen in its liquid or powder phases.

The basic properties of calcium phosphate cement (CPC) containing atelocollagen, the main component of the organic substrate in bone, were studied in an initial evaluation for the fabrication of modified CPC. The setting time of conventional CPC (c-CPC) was prolonged to over 100 min when c-CPC contained 1% or more atelocollagen. The diametral tensile strength (DTS) of c-CPC decreased linearly with the collagen content, descending to below the detection limit when the c-CPC contained 3% or more atelocollagen. Therefore, use of c-CPC as the base cement seems inappropriate for the fabrication of atelocollagen-containing CPC. In contrast, the cement set at 9-34 min when fast-setting CPC (FSCPC) was used as the base cement and contained 1-5% atelocollagen, respectively. Although addition of atelocollagen resulted in the decrease of DTS of the set mass, the DTS was approximately the same, 6-8 MPa, at contents of atelocollagen between 1% and 5%. When atelocollagen was added to FSCPC, the handling property was improved significantly. The paste also became more adhesive with increase in atelocollagen content. These properties are desirable for its use in surgical procedures since, for example, bony defects can be filled easily and without a space interposed between the bone and cement paste. Although there are some disadvantages for the addition of atelocollagen to CPC, it can be accepted as long as FSCPC was used as the base cement. We conclude that further evaluations of the effects of atelocollagen, such as biocompatibility, bone synthesis, and bone replacement behaviour should be done, using FSCPC as the base cement.