Application of bioceramics in tissue engineering composite scaffolds, a review

An extensive problem of human health is the injury and damage leading to tissue or organ loss. Some partially helpful options include organ or tissue transplant, surgery, artificial organs or tissues, drug therapy and etc. However extensive damage to the tissue or organ cannot be compensated. Besides, the long term treatment and recovery may really be overwhelming for patients. An advantageous solution is tissue engineering. The most important part of this multidisciplinary field is designing scaffold to mimic the naturally occurring extra cellular matrix, through the structure or chemistry, in order to provide a more desirable cell growth. Ceramics are generally defined as inorganic and non-metallic materials. Bioceramics are defined as natural or synthetic materials for introducing into living tissue, especially as part of a medical device. Bioceramics have improved the quality of human life by facilitating repair and reconstruction of flawed and diseased organs. Clinical applications of bioceramics include repair of damaged skeletal segments, bone and teeth joints, as well as, increasing tissues regeneration. Regarding the phases that bioceramics are produced, following classification can be useful: single crystals (sapphire), polycrystalline (alumina and hydroxyapatite), glass (bioglass), glass ceramics, and composites. Bioceramics are applied in biomedical applications, due to their biological and chemical inertness that entail low toxicity and very low levels of inflammatory response. High mechanical properties of these materials make them as prominent tissue engineering scaffolds, especially their wear properties and compression strength. In this regard, we provided a short review on the application of bioceramics in the tissue engineering scaffolds

Keywords:

Tissue engineering , Polymeric scaffolds , Bioceramics