Monetite and brushite are regarded with increasing interest for the preparation of biomaterials for applications in the musculoskeletal system. Herein, we investigated the influence of strontium substitution in the structures of these two phosphates on bone cell response. To achieve this aim, co-cultures of human primary osteoclasts and human osteoblast-like MG63 cells were tested on strontium-substituted monetite and strontium-substituted brushite, as well as on monetite and brushite, as controls. In both structures, strontium substitution for calcium amounted to about 6 at% and provoked enlargement of the cell parameters and morphologic variations. Cumulative release in physiological solution increased linearly over time and was greater from brushite (up to about 160 and 560 mg/L at 14 days for Sr and Ca, respectively) than from monetite (up to about 90 and 250 mg/L at 14 days for Sr and Ca, respectively). The increasing viability of osteoblast-like cells over time, with the different expression level of some typical bone markers, indicates a more pronounced trigger toward osteoblast differentiation and osteoclast inhibition by brushite materials. In particular, the inhibition of cathepsin K and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase at the gene and morphological levels suggests strontium-substituted brushite can be applied in diseases characterized by excessive bone resorption.
Keywords: calcium phosphates; co-culture; human primary osteoclast; ion substitution; osteoblast; strontium.