In vitro analysis of protein adhesion to phase pure hydroxyapatite and silicon substituted hydroxyapatite

The adhesion of bovine collagen type I, bovine serum albumin, bovine IgG, 1% and 10% (v/v) human serum to hydroxyapatite (HA), silicon-substituted hydroxyapatite (Si-HA) and tissue culture plastic were studied. The materials were incubated at 37 degrees C for 30 minutes, after which the protein solution was removed and analyzed. The adsorbed protein was evaluated by electrophoresis and immunoassay after extraction from the materials. The degree of adhesion was higher for collagen, followed by IgG and albumin on all materials. However there was no difference in the amount of collagen adsorbed onto the surface of each material and this was also the finding with albumin and IgG. These results suggest that the increased bioactivity seen with Si-HA is not due to the degree of protein adhesion, but may possibly be due to changes in the conformation of the bound proteins.