Tissue regeneration mechanical properties

Bioactive glasses are currently used as granulate for bone and dental grafting in small defects, or as powder incorporated into toothpaste. Although silica-based bioactive glasses meant an extraordinary advance in the field of bone tissue regeneration, their application as pieces for medium and large defects is not possible due to their very poor mechanical properties. 

CNTs are especially valued as implant materials thanks to their novel mechanical properties and surface functionability.35 They have been found to make an ideal scaffold for the growth of bone tissue.36 Moreover, many tissues and organs require bio-compatible substrates to facilitate tissue growth and implantation. The fabric made fom CNTs serves as an efficient tissue scaffold.36 Several publications demonstrate that CNTs can be used as a substrate for neuronal growth, and that modifications of the CNTs can be employed to modulate the development of neurons. This suggests that it may be possible to employ suitably functionalized CNTs as neural prostheses in neurite regeneration.35 Lipid bilayers have been developed using a nanotube template. 

Nwe N, Furuike T, Tamura H (2009) The mechanical and biological properties of chitosan scaffolds for tissue regeneration templates are significantly enhanced by chitosan from... 

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