The composition of carbonate apatite (CO3 Ap) aids bone regeneration. Other features, such as porosity and pore interconnectivity of artificial bone, also govern bone regeneration. In general, a trade-off exists between the porosity and mechanical strength of artificial bone. Therefore, this suggests that the interconnected pores in the ant-nest-type porous (ANP) structure of artificial bone accelerate bone regeneration by minimizing the sacrifice of mechanical strength. The unique structure of polyurethane foam has the potential to endow CO3 Ap with an ANP structure without forming excess pores. This study investigated the efficacy of polyurethane foam as a porogen in providing ANP structure to CO3 Ap artificial bone. The polyurethane foam was completely decomposed by sintering and the resulting CO3 Ap displayed ANP structure with a compressive strength of approximately 15 MPa. Furthermore, in vivo experiments revealed that the migration of cells and tissues into the interior of CO3 Ap through the interconnected pores accelerated bone regeneration in the ANP-structured CO3 Ap. Thus, this indicates that using polyurethane foam as a porogen endows the CO3 Ap artificial bone with an ANP structure that accelerates bone regeneration.
Keywords: bone regeneration; carbonate apatite; polyurethane foam; porogen; porous architecture.
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