Association of Calcium Phosphate and Fibroblast Growth Factor‐2: a Dynamic Light Scattering Study

Summary: The size distributions of fibroblast growth factor‐2 (FGF‐2) in aqueous solutions with neutral pH were investigated with a dynamic light scattering technique. We found that the FGF‐2 was distributed in dimer or trimer form at concentrations of 0.1–1.0 mg · mL −1 . An aggregate with a hydrodynamic radius of approximately 90 nm coexisted with this and its proportion increased with a decrease in concentration. At lower concentrations (less than 0.10 mg · mL −1 ) FGF‐2 aggregates with an average radius of 80–100 nm were dominant and were stable for more than a day. These FGF‐2 solutions were mixed with calcium phosphate solutions to produce a sub‐micron sized compound of FGF‐2 and hydroxyapatite, which could be used as a biological implant that possessed a pharmacological function for bone formation. By utilizing a transformation from amorphous calcium phosphate to hydroxyapatite, FGF‐2 was effectively incorporated into polycrystals of hydroxyapatite.SEM photograph of a mixture of hydroxyapatite and FGF‐2.