Biological hydroxyapatite obtained from fish bones

In this study biological HA has been obtained from fish bones, which are available as waste from fishing activities. Fish bone can be used as a cheap source of biological HA contributing at the same time to give added value to fishing by-products as well as reducing the undesirable environmental impact. For this purpose, fish bones of sword fish and tuna have been cleaned and subjected to heat treatment. Material obtained at 600 degrees C is a B type hydroxyapatite. At 950 degrees C a biphasic material was found: biological hydroxyapatite/beta-TCP in a 87/13 ratio. The in vitro cytotoxicity test assessed that all materials are non-cytotoxic. These materials present a promising future because the raw material are wastes, while using a biological substituted apatite containing Mg and Sr as bone substitutes, instead of synthetic apatite without them, would be much beneficial for bone defect healing. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.