Is the integration of molluscan calcium based minerals with bone - a question of chemistry - topography or both? This question has been vexing researchers since the late 1990ies (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v392/n6679/full/392861a0.html). As the materials chemistry of the biominerals that molluscs and mammals use is fundamentally different; biominerals in shells are generally calcium carbonate and bones contain calcium phosphate. But the use of nacre as a biomaterial goes back to the Mayans who implanted them to bling up teeth.
The molluscan shell has several layers a smooth nanostructure on nacre, and a riffled, prismatic one which give rise to different surface topographies. To investigate how human mesenchymal stem cells interact with these, the surfaces were copied from the shell into a polymer. Human mesenchymal stem cells on nacre differentiate into bone making cells, showing enhanced osteogenesis compared to cells on flat or copies of prismatic surfaces. This is enhanced if the material is not a polymer but the original. This goes to show that the Mayan medics did use a good material to repair bone.
More on Prof Maggie Cusack: http://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/ges/staff/maggiecusack/Relevant papers: Perez-Juerta et al. J Struct Biol 167: 62 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsb.2009.03.013) Brachiopod pores
More on the wonderful world of biomaterials: http://ideas.ted.com/a-history-of-biomaterials/
This was drawn during the GLORI meeting in Glasgow 26.3.2015
(http://www.gla.ac.uk/researchinstitutes/biology/research/cellengineering/glori/).
(apologies for the bad sketch of Prof Cusack - I am but a learner)
The molluscan shell has several layers a smooth nanostructure on nacre, and a riffled, prismatic one which give rise to different surface topographies. To investigate how human mesenchymal stem cells interact with these, the surfaces were copied from the shell into a polymer. Human mesenchymal stem cells on nacre differentiate into bone making cells, showing enhanced osteogenesis compared to cells on flat or copies of prismatic surfaces. This is enhanced if the material is not a polymer but the original. This goes to show that the Mayan medics did use a good material to repair bone.
More on Prof Maggie Cusack: http://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/ges/staff/maggiecusack/Relevant papers: Perez-Juerta et al. J Struct Biol 167: 62 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsb.2009.03.013) Brachiopod pores
More on the wonderful world of biomaterials: http://ideas.ted.com/a-history-of-biomaterials/
This was drawn during the GLORI meeting in Glasgow 26.3.2015
(http://www.gla.ac.uk/researchinstitutes/biology/research/cellengineering/glori/).
(apologies for the bad sketch of Prof Cusack - I am but a learner)