title: Fossils as candidate material for orthopedic applications.
abstract: Ceramic powders from fossil deposits were thoroughly characterized from the material point of view and sintered to produce massive components. The raw material, a mixture of apatite minerals, feldspars, and quartz, seems ideally suitable to obtain a biologically compatible glass ceramic. Preliminary in vitro tests of proliferation and adhesion of MG63 human osteoblast-like cell line on a selected sample are encouraging. Results are correlated with sintering conditions and phase composition: the fossil can be sintered to almost full density at temperatures as low as 900 °C and seems to quickly promote cell activation with respect to hydroxylapatite.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Engineering and Industrial Technologies University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, 38123 Trento, Italy.
authors.forename: Hector
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pesenti
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leoni
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Motta
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scardi
mesh_terms: D000538:Aluminum Silicates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000818:Animals; D001031:Apatites / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018786:Bone Substitutes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D002516:Ceramics / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005580:Fossils; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008422:Materials Testing; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology; D017680:Potassium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D033362:Powder Diffraction; D011208:Powders; D011791:Quartz / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
chemical_list: D000538:Aluminum Silicates; D001031:Apatites; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D018786:Bone Substitutes; D017680:Potassium Compounds; D011208:Powders; C016447:feldspar; D011791:Quartz