Papers by Author: M.A. Lopes

Abstract: Bony defects caused by periodontitis are often treated by regenerative therapy using autografts and/or allografts. Alloplasts such as hydroxyapatite or ceramics and bioactive glasses are used as osteoconductive materials that serve as scaffold for new bony ingrowth. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the possible regenerative capability of glass reinforced hydroxyapatite (Bonelike¬)¬¬¬ an osteoconductive synthetic graft in the treatment of human periodontal intrabony angular defects. The material was placed in 2 defects in 2 individual patients and clinical parameters such as probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment level (CAL) have been included. Bone fill was determined using an intra oral periapical radiograph (IOPA) and Autocad Software. After 3 months implantation period, there was an improvement in CAL and reduction in PD along with bone fill was observed.

Abstract: Previous in vitro studies confirmed an improved cytocompatibility of chitosan-silicate hybrid membranes over chitosan membranes. The main goal of this study was to assess the in vivo histocompatibility of both membranes through subcutaneous implantations at different time periods, 1 week, 1, 2 and 3 months, using a sheep model. Chitosan membranes elicited an exuberant inflammatory response and were consequently rejected. The hybrid chitosan membranes were not rejected and the degree of inflammatory response decreased gradually until the third month of implantation. Histological evaluation also showed that these membranes can be resorbed in vivo. This study demonstrates that the incorporation of silicate into the chitosan solution improves its histocompatibility, indicating that the hybrid chitosan-silicate membranes are suitable candidates to be used in clinical applications.

Abstract: This work reports the structure of two glass ceramics prepared in the calcium phosphate system, MK5B and MT13B, using 31P MAS-NMR technique. The results obtained showed that the network of MK5B consisted mainly of Q1 and Q2 groups. Besides these two groups, MT13B material also present Q3 units. The Qn groups detected in both glass ceramics seem to be correlated to the crystalline phases present in their microstructure.

Abstract: This paper reports the ability of Bonelike® to regenerate bone defected areas when implanted in the tibia of 3 patients (average age of 59 years) during a high tibial osteotomy (HTO) to treat medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee. Bonelike® is a synthetic bone graft designed to mimic the inorganic composition of bone using a patent process that consists of liquid sintering hydroxyapatite in the presence of CaO-P2O5 based glass. The preliminary clinical evaluation performed showed that an intimate contact between new formed bone and Bonelike® was established (67±10 %), with no fibrous interface. Therefore, Bonelike® is a single-handedly viable osteoconductive synthetic grafting material as it has been demonstrated from the profiles of radiological, histological and scanning electron microscopy analyses for the six months implantation period.

Abstract: BonelikeÒ graft that mimics the inorganic composition of bone tissue has been developed and characterized over the last decade. To evaluate the osteoconductivity of BonelikeÒ two granule size ranges, one ranging from 150-250µm and the other from 250-500µm were implanted in the femurs of New Zealand White rabbits, aiming at being clinically used in different medical applications, such as dentistry and orthopaedics. In order to facilitate the medical application of the BonelikeÒ graft the use of a commercially available polymeric vehicle was also analyzed. Radiological examination, histological studies and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses revealed that the surface of Bonelike® granules was almost completely surrounded by new bone formation after 12 weeks of implantation, which proves its highly osteoconductive behaviour.

Abstract: Based upon the CaO-P2O5 glass system, two glass ceramics were prepared in the meta-, pyro- and orthophosphate regions. The present work describes results concerning the biological activity of MT13B (45CaO-37P2O5-5MgO-13TiO2, in mol %) and MK5B (45CaO-45P2O5-5MgO-5K2O, in mol %) using MG63 osteoblast-like cells cultured for 6 days. The influence of a 24h pretreatment with culture medium before cell culture was also evaluated (MT13Bi; MK5Bi). Both “as received” and pre-treated material samples supported cell growth, which increased with the culture time. Pre-treatment resulted in an increase of adhered cells on both materials (day 1). Throughout the culture time (days 3 and 6), MT13Bi presented higher cell numbers than that of MT13B, but no differences were found between MK5Bi and MK5B. In addition, cell growth was significantly lower in the K-containing glass ceramic in both experimental situations comparing with Ticontaining glass ceramic. SEM and confocal microscopy observation showed that cell adhesion and spreading were hampered on MK5B samples. Evident macroscopic and microscopic surface instability was observed on this material with simultaneous dissolution/precipitation processes. By contrast, MT13B presented a relatively stable surface throughout the culture time. Results suggest that the pre-incubation with culture medium improves the adhesion of the osteoblast cells to both glass ceramics and that the high degradation rate of MK5B hinders the in vitro biological performance of this material.

Abstract: Chitosan-silicate hybrid membranes were prepared using g-glycidoxy-propyltrimethoxysilane (GPSM) through a sol-gel process. The amino groups of chitosan chains were reacted with the epoxy groups of GPSM and GPSM have a function as the agent to cross-link the chitosan chains. The cross-linking degree of the hybrid membranes was determined by ninhydrin assay. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and 29Si cross-polarization (CP) magic-angle spinning (MAS)-NMR spectroscopy were used to assess the structure of the hybrid membranes. The biodegradability of the hybrid membranes in phosphate-buffered saline solution or lysozyme solution was investigated as a function of the GPSM concentration.

Abstract: The adhesion of bovine collagen type I, bovine serum albumin, bovine IgG, 1 % and 10 % (v/v) human serum to hydroxyapatite (HA), silicon-substituted hydroxyapatite (Si-HA) and tissue culture plastic were studied. The materials were incubated at 37 °C for 30 minutes, after which the protein solution was removed and analyzed. The adsorbed protein was evaluated by electrophoresis and immunoassay after extraction from the materials. The degree of adhesion was higher for collagen, followed by IgG and albumin on all materials. However there was no difference in the amount of collagen adsorbed onto the surface of each material and this was also the finding with albumin and IgG. These results suggest that the increased bioactivity seen with Si-HA is not due to the degree of protein adhesion, but may possibly be due to changes in the conformation of the bound proteins.