Zirconia and its derivatives have been receiving increased levels of attention with regard to their potential application in bone tissue engineering. These materials are of particular interest because of their excellent characteristics, such as superior biological and mechanical properties. In this study, yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia (YTZ)-reinforced nanohydroxyapatite/polyamide 66 (nHA/PA66) bone screws were prepared. The biocompatibility and bioactivity of nHA/PA66/YTZ were evaluated in vitro using MC3T3-E1 cells. Biocompatibility and bioactivity experiments (cell counting kit-8 tests, cell immunofluorescence analysis, and polymerase chain reaction) showed that nHA/PA66/YTZ could facilitate the biological functions of MC3T3-E1 cells. The attachment, proliferation, spreading, and expression of genes associated with osteogenesis (collagen 1, osteopontin, and osteocalcin) in cells cultured with the nHA/PA66/YTZ composite were all superior compared with the control groups (P < 0.05). In addition, nHA/PA66/YTZ bone screws were implanted into the femoral condyles of rabbits, and titanium screws were employed as a control group; postoperative histology and blood analysis revealed no obvious damage to the liver, kidneys, or any other major organs in either of the experimental groups. Moreover, nHA/PA66/YTZ screws resulted in significantly better bone-implant contact interfaces and enhanced formation of trabecular bone (P < 0.05); these characteristics were markedly better than those in the group that received titanium screws. These observations indicate that YTZ-reinforced nHA/PA66 composites have significant potential for applications in bone tissue engineering.

氧化锆及其衍生物因其在骨组织工程中的潜在应用而受到越来越多的关注。这些材料特别受关注，因为它们具有出色的特性，例如卓越的生物和机械性能。在这项研究中，制备了氧化钇稳定的四方氧化锆 (YTZ) 增强纳米羟基磷灰石/聚酰胺 66 (nHA/PA66) 接骨螺钉。使用 MC3T3-E1 细胞在体外评估了 nHA/PA66/YTZ 的生物相容性和生物活性。生物相容性和生物活性实验（细胞计数试剂盒-8 测试、细胞免疫荧光分析和聚合酶链反应）表明 nHA/PA66/YTZ 可以促进 MC3T3-E1 细胞的生物学功能。依附、增殖、蔓延，P  < 0.05)。此外，将nHA/PA66/YTZ骨螺钉植入兔股骨髁内，钛螺钉作为对照组；术后组织学和血液分析显示，任何一个实验组的肝脏、肾脏或任何其他主要器官都没有明显的损伤。此外，nHA/PA66/YTZ 螺钉显着改善了骨-种植体接触界面并增强了骨小梁的形成（P  < 0.05）；这些特征明显优于接受钛螺钉组的特征。这些观察结果表明，YTZ 增强的 nHA/PA66 复合材料在骨组织工程中具有巨大的应用潜力。