Effects of sterilization and storage on the properties of ALP-grafted biomaterials for prosthetic and bone tissue engineering applications.
Grafting of the biomaterial surfaces with biomolecules is nowadays a challenging research field for prosthetic and bone tissue engineering applications. On the other hand, very few research works investigate the effect of the sterilization processes on the properties of functionalized biomaterials. In this study, the effects of different sterilization techniques (e.g. gamma and electron beam irradiation, ethylene oxide) on the enzymatic activity of bioactive glasses and Ti6Al4V grafted with alkaline phosphatase (ALP) have been analyzed. Sterility maintenance and in vitro bioactivity of the sterilized surfaces have also been investigated. Finally the effect of packaging and storage conditions has been considered.
Abstract In situ composites can be obtained either by unidirectional eutectic solidification or by unidirectional solid- state decomposition. Techniques in the latter category are dealt with in this review. The solid-state growth methods may be classified, according to the state of the starting material, into (a) eutectoid decomposition, (b) discontinuous precipitation, or (c) growth from the noncrystalline state. Common to the three processes is the duplex microstructure which occurs, permitting alignment during growth in a temperature gradient. The author reviews the theory of the transformation, the experimental techniques, and the empirical parameters which have been reported in the literature. Emphasis is placed upon the relationships between interphase spacing and growth rate, and upon the potential discrepancies between growth rate and pulling rate.