Biomineralization of nanoscale single crystal hydroxyapatite

The chemical and physical characteristics of nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite particles which formed during the subcutaneous implantation of crab shell in Sprague-Dawley rats were studied using selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The initial SAED characterization evidence indicated the presence of an amorphous calcium phosphate phase. The electron dense nanophase particles which formed in the wound healing zone displayed broad diffuse rings which usually indicate a low crystalline order or amorphous phase. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) revealed that these mineralized regions contained discrete single crystal particles less than 5 nm in size. Micrographs taken at successively higher magnifications revealed very small nanoparticles with a hexagonal arrangement of ion channels with characteristic spacing of 0.54 nm and 0.23 nm. This study revealed that single crystal hydroxyapatite nanoparticles consisting of only a few unit cells formed via a biomineralization directed process.