Enhanced ALP activity of MG63 cells cultured on hydroxyapatite-poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogel composites prepared using EDTA-OH.

In order to obtain a hydroxyapatite (HAp)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) composite, tetra amine-terminated PEG was crosslinked using disuccinimidyl tartrate to obtain a PEG hydrogel. Using two kinds of chelators with different stability constants for Ca ion (N-(2-hydroxyethyl) ethylenediamine-N,N',N'-triacetic acid (EDTA-OH, 8.14), and ethylenediamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EDTA, 10.96)), calcium phosphate was deposited within PEG hydrogels by heating the chelator-containing calcium phosphate solution at 90 °C. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the deposited calcium phosphate was HAp. The crystallinity of the HAp deposited using EDTA-OH was low compared with that obtained using EDTA, but the amount of HAp deposited within the PEG hydrogel using EDTA-OH was higher than that deposited using EDTA. Significantly more human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells adhered on the HAp-PEG composite prepared using EDTA-OH than on the HAp-PEG composites prepared using EDTA. Furthermore, the alkaline phosphatase activity of MG-63 cultured on the HAp-PEG composite prepared using EDTA-OH was four times higher than that on the HAp-PEG composite prepared using EDTA. Therefore, the HAp-PEG composite prepared using EDTA-OH has potential as a bone substitute material.