In vitro stability predictions for the bone/hydroxyapatite composite system.

Electroacoustic measurements of the zeta (zeta) potential as a function of pH were collected and used to probe the nature of the ionic contributions to the bond formed between synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) and bone. HA powder and wet bone powder were dispersed into an electrolyte solution comprised of physiologic saline (0.154M NaCl), electroacoustic measurements collected, and the zeta potential calculated as a function of pH. The zeta potential and particle size then were used to calculate the stability of the composite dispersion, where stability is the ability of a particulate suspension to remain unagglomerated. The stability was used to predict the homo- (HA to HA and bone to bone) versus heterocoagulation (HA to bone) behaviors for the HA/bone system. Although single component bone and HA demonstrated stability against agglomeration, the HA/bone interaction was determined to be unstable for all pH levels tested, including pH 7.4, the normal in vivo pH. These results establish one factor responsible for the observed physicochemical bonding between bone and HA noted by many in the orthopedic community.