Biofunctionalization of Ionic-doped Calcium Phosphates for Tissue Engineering

Calcium phosphates (CaPs) are the chemical compounds of special interest for human beings due to their similarity with the inorganic part of major normal (bones, teeth and antlers) calcified tissues of mammals. CaP-based materials are used in a variety of bone tissue engineering ranging from cements to implant coatings and, most commonly, bone void fillers. Essentially, CaPs act as scaffold in which they facilitate new bone formation by allowing the migration, attachment and proliferation of bone forming cells.¹ In particular, calcium phosphates could: (a) produce tunable drug release profiles, (b) be injectable and self-setting pastes, (c) intracellularly deliver bioactive compounds, (d) accommodate an array of functional ions, and (e) be naturally antimicrobial. These biomaterials possess remarkable biocompatibility, osteoconductivity, bioresorbability, and high mechanical strength. The functionalization of CaPs, which means the modification of their composition, structure, and properties, has been vital to solve specific problems in various fields of bone tissue engineering. The incorporation of different ions, e.g., strontium, zinc, manganese, magnesium, into CaPs structure has shown significant osteogenic and neovascularization capability in the formation, growth, and repair of bone with faster patient healing times and high surgical success rates.² Besides, these elements can lend controlled degradation and increase the mechanical strength of the developed CaP-based biomaterials.³ This study aims to functionalize CaPs-based materials incorporating different ions in order to evaluate the mechanical and biological performance for bone tissue engineering.