Hydroxyapatite surface solubility and effect on cell adhesion

In living organisms the biological hydroxyapatite is in constant contact with body fluids, such as blood serum and saliva. Thus, dissolution, solubility and precipitation take place as part of the interaction of this material with biological fluids in tissues. In this work we have obtained the solubility constant for the system formed from aqueous solutions in equilibrium with hydroxyapatite and thus indirectly obtained the composition of the modified hydroxyapatite surface. In order to check the effects of this equilibrium and of the modification that the surface of hydroxyapatite suffers in aqueous solutions, we cultured pre-osteoblasts onto hydroxyapatite discs before and after equilibrium. The results revealed key steps of the mechanism for the bioactivity of hydroxyapatite, which are the solubilization of hydroxyapatite and the equilibrium that is formed on the surface. These processes modify the hydroxyapatite surface, whose composition is changed to a new calcium phosphate compound with the chemical formula of CaHPO4. A clear description of the transformations that occur on the surface of hydroxyapatite and of the interplay between these transformations and cell activity are two fundamental aspects of processes in which hydroxyapatite takes part, such as bone substitution, bone remodeling, osteoporosis and caries.