Magnesium phosphate hydrogels

The present invention relates to magnesium phosphate hydrogels. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with such gels and their uses as scaffolds for bone tissue engineering, as drug delivery systems and in pastes for cleaning dental implants.

The force required to inject the NMP nanocrystals through an insulin needle of 160 μm of internal diameter was measured using the instrument Mach-1 V500cs and Mach-1 Motion software version 4.3.1 (Biomomentum Inc., Laval, Canada). The force was measured with a multiple-axis load cell of 70 N (resolution of 0.007 N) and acquisition rate of 100 Hz. The gel was loaded into the syringe avoiding the presence of bubble and then the plunger was inserted into the load cell. The force value was measured applying a constant vertical stage velocity of 1 mm s−1 (resolution of 0.1 μm). The syringe loaded with deionized water required a force of 0.14±0.01 N, while for the NMP gels of formulation A-D were comprised in a range of 0.22±0.03 N and 0.77±0.04 N. At lower stage velocity (0.3 mm s−1) the required force to inject the NMP samples was considerably higher reaching a maximum of 18±1 N and a minimum of 9±1.2 N.