Abstract

Calcium phosphate compounds are typically used to produce artificial bones; wherein brittle fracture is a critical issue. We previously developed calcium phosphate/pyrolytic carbon composites with excellent damage tolerance, but the cytocompatibility of these composites remained unclear, particularly the effect of the pyrolytic carbon on cells and its possible toxicity. In this study, we prepared samples with and without pyrolytic carbon and investigated their cytocompatibility using MC3T3-E1 cells, and both samples supported cell adhesion and proliferation. The composites containing pyrolytic carbon exhibited significantly enhanced cellular responses in terms of adhesion and proliferation. These results strongly suggest that the presence of pyrolytic carbon benefits cell–material interactions, possibly via surface chemical modifications. The composites with pyrolytic carbon also exhibited better cytocompatibility, making them a promising candidate for artificial bone applications, particularly in load-bearing environments where both strength and biocompatibility are essential.

Credit: © 2025 The Author(s). Originally published in Journal of Asian Ceramic Societies, 13(3), 259–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/21870764.2025.2543128. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.