Gallium-Doped Hydroxyapatite: Shape Transformation and Osteogenesis Activity

Abstract

In this study, we employed a chemical precipitation method to successfully synthesize nanoparticles of gallium-doped hydroxyapatite (Ga-HAp). The microstructure of Ga-HAp was precisely tailored by modulating the concentration of gallium ions. Our findings unequivocally demonstrate that gallium ions exert a pronounced inhibitory influence on the growth of HAp crystals, and this inhibitory potency exhibits a direct correlation with the concentration of gallium. Furthermore, gallium ions facilitate the metamorphosis of HAp nanoparticles, transitioning them from nanoneedles to nanosheets. It is worth noting, however, that gallium ions exhibit a limited capacity to substitute for calcium ions within the crystal lattice of HAp, with the maximum substitution rate capped at 4.85%. Additionally, gallium plays a pivotal role in constraining the release of ions from HAp, and this behavior remains consistent across samples with varying Ga doping concentrations. Our in vitro experiments confirm that Ga-doped HAp amplifies both the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.