Accelerating proliferation of human bone-marrow stem cells by nanobioceramics

A group of Iranian researchers carried out studies on 63S bioactive glass nanobioceramics and hydroxyapatite derived from animal bone and increased the bioactivity and proliferation of human bone-marrow stem cells. Bone treatment bioceramics have many applications in dentistry and orthopedics. Bioactive glass and hydroxyapatite are among the biomaterials whose unique characteristics have persuaded researchers to carry out numerous studies on them. According to Dr. Ali Doust-Mohammadi, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the toxicity and bioactivity of bioactive glass nanobioceramics (63S) and hydroxyapatite derived from human bone in contact with human bone-marrow stem cells. "Two nanobioceramic compounds, including bioactive glass and natural hydroxyapatite, were synthesized in this research, and their cellular toxicity was studied in contact with human bone-marrow stem cells. Results confirmed the non-toxicity of the compounds, and moreover, the ability of these materials in increasing the proliferation of human bone-marrow stem cells," he added. The nanoparticles showed such a great bioactivity to the extent that they do not have any toxic or fatal effect on stem cells even in short periods or in high concentrations. In some cases, they increased the growth and proliferation of the cells in comparison with the control sample. The improved bioactivity is caused by the very high specific area of bioceramic nanoparticles. According to Doust-Mohammadi, complementary tests are being carried out on these materials in order to commercialize them. The production and evaluation of the properties of novel similar compounds with unique characteristics is among the future plans in this project. Results of the research have been published in detail in Biomedical Papers of the Medical Faculty of University Palacky, Olomouc, Czechoslovakia.