Bioceramics are calcium-phosphate-based materials used in medical and dental implants for replacing or repairing damaged bone tissues; however, the effect of bioceramic sintering on the intracellular signaling pathways remains unknown. In order to address this, we analyzed the impact of sintering on the cell signaling pathways of osteoblast cells using sintered and non-sintered hydroxyapatite (HA) and beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP). X-ray diffraction indicated that only the morphology of HA was affected by sintering; however, the sintered bioceramics were found to have elevated the calcium concentrations in relation to the non-sintered variants. Both bioceramics inhibited the JNK signaling pathway; the sintered HA exhibited half the value of the non-sintered variant, while the sintered β-TCP rarely expressed a p-JNK value. The total Src and Raptor protein concentrations were unaffected by the sintering, while the p-Src concentrations were decreased. The p-EGFR signaling pathway was regulated by the non-sintered bioceramics, while the p-p38 concentrations were reduced by both the sintered β-TCP and HA. All of the bioceramics attenuated the total AKT concentrations, particularly the non-sintered HA, and the AKT phosphorylation concentration, except for the non-sintered β-TCP. Thus, the sintering of bioceramics affects several intracellular signaling pathways. These findings may elucidate the bioceramic function and expand their application scope as novel substrates in clinical applications.
Keywords: biocompatible materials; calcium phosphates; osteoblasts; signal transduction.