A novel method for monitoring mineralisation in hydrogels at the engineered hard–soft tissue interface

Susanne Koburger, Alistair Bannerman, Liam Grover, Frank Müller, James Bowen, Jennifer Paxton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)
210 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The capacity to study the deposition of mineral within a hydrogel structure is of significant interest to a range of therapies that seek to replace the hard tissues and the hard–soft tissue interface. Here, a method is presented that utilises Confocal Raman microscopy as a tool for monitoring mineralisation within hydrogels. Synthetic hard–soft material interfaces were fabricated by apposing brushite (a sparingly soluble calcium phosphate) and biopolymer gel monoliths. The resulting structures were matured over a period of 28 days in phosphate buffered saline. Confocal Raman microscopy of the interfacial region showed the appearance of calcium phosphate salt deposits away from the original interface within the biopolymeric structures. Furthermore, the appearance of octacalcium phosphate and carbonated hydroxyapatite was observed in the region of the brushite cement opposing the biopolymer gel. This study describes not only a method for analysing these composite structures, but also suggests a method for
recapitulating the graduated tissue structures that are often found in vivo.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)41-51
JournalBiomaterials Science
Volume2
Issue number1
Early online date8 Oct 2013
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2014

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A novel method for monitoring mineralisation in hydrogels at the engineered hard–soft tissue interface'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this