Materials for bone repair and regeneration

Biomaterials directly contact and interact with the body environment. Chemical composition, microstructure, surface properties and mechanical and biological performance are considered the most important aspects for designing and developing biomaterials. They serve as the building blocks for the fixations, prostheses, scaffolds, biosensors or other devices for various medical applications. 

Decades ago, scientists and engineers sought for materials that mechanically match human tissue, remain stable in contact with human tissue and do not induce severe 

1 Principles of designing biomateriais for bone repair and regeneration 

Lessons from nature have been incorporated into many research outcomes in the field of natural polymeric biomaterials. Natural polymers perform nicely as scaffold materials. Their chemical compositions and structural arrangements more closely resemble living tissue, and they have excellent biological properties. Nonetheless, because the natural polymers are derived from other living creatures, the pathogens and the potential immunological responses they stimulate may be concerns. Besides, it is very difficnlt to precisely control the fabrication of natural polymers. The limited number of sources is another challenge. 

Another attractive natural polymer that occurs in the human body is hyaluronic acid. Hyalmonic acid possesses excellent biocompatibiUty. Jansen et al. (2004) investigated a hyalmonan-based conduit, and no cytotoxicity was found. Cross-linking is very important in tailoring the properties and the application of hyaluronic acid. For 

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Yang L, Zhong C. Advanced engineering and biomimetic materials for bone repair and regeneration. Front Mater Sci 2013 7 313-34. 

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