Enhancing osteoconductivity and biocompatibility of silver-substituted apatite in vivo through silicon co-substitution

The success of bone substitute can be undermined by poor osseointegration and infection. To counter both issues, many researches attempted to incorporate antibacterial agents such as silver into biocompatible materials like hydroxyapatite. However, the balance between both properties is often fraught with compromise. Silver, silicon co-substituted hydroxyapatite (Ag,Si-HA) was developed to create bioactivity in tandem with antibacterial properties. The favourable in vitro results prompted us to study further Ag,Si-HA in vivo. Haematoxylin and eosin, Masson's trichrome and immunohistochemistry staining of type I collagen results demonstrated that the co-substitution of Si in Ag-HA to form Ag,Si-HA, could enhance its osteoconductivity and biocompatibility in the rabbit femoral condyle model.