The shape and size of hydroxyapatite particles dictate inflammatory responses following implantation.
The extent of regeneration following biomaterial implantation is dependent on the microenvironment surrounding the implant. Since implant composition can have a profound effect on inflammation, it is essential to understand this process as a non-resolving inflammatory response can lead to fibrous encapsulation and insufficient integration. Incorporation of particulates into implants confers structural and functional benefits, thus optimizing particulate characteristics to enhance immune mediated efficacy is important. We investigated the relationship between the nature of hydroxyapatite (HA) particles and the innate immune response, focusing on how particle size (0.1 µm, 5 µm, 20 µm, 100 µm) and morphology (needle-shaped/spherical; smooth/rough surface) modulates inflammatory responses. We observed a shape and size-dependent activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and IL-1β secretion; while needle-shaped and smaller HA particles significantly enhanced cytokine secretion, larger particles did not. Moreover, HA particle characteristics profoundly influenced patterns of innate immune cell recruitment and cytokine production following injection. While small, needle-shaped particles induced a strong inflammatory response, this was not observed with smooth, spherical particles of comparable size or with larger particles. These findings indicate that hydroxyapatite particle characteristics dictate immune cell recruitment and the ensuing inflammatory response, providing an opportunity to tailor HA particle characteristics to regulate immune responses induced after biomaterial implantation.
Funding
This work was funded by a Science Foundation Ireland Investigator Award to Ed Lavelle 12/1A/1421 and the SFI Research Centre, Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research (AMBER) under Grant number SFI/12/RC/2278.
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This article is also available at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-03086-0Published Citation
Lebre F, Sridharan R, Sawkins MJ, Kelly DJ, O'Brien FJ, Lavelle EC. The shape and size of hydroxyapatite particles dictate inflammatory responses following implantation.Scientific Reports. 2017;7(1):2922.Publication Date
2017-06-07External DOI
PubMed ID
28592868Department/Unit
- Anatomy and Regenerative Medicine
- Tissue Engineering Research Group (TERG)