Material design of bioabsorbable inorganic/organic composites for bone regeneration

Two new bioabsorbable inorganic/organic composite materials were developed for bone regeneration. One material used was beta-TCP/PLGC in which poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) and beta-tricalcium phosphate were used as the matrix and filler, respectively. The other material used was HAp/Col-a soft nanocomposite of hydroxyapatite and type I collagen. Using these composites, two bone implants were designed. The efficacy of these implants was investigated by applying them to the critical-sized bone defects that were created in the canine tibia. Although no tissue engineering techniques such as application of growth factors or stem cells was utilized, successful healing was observed. These results suggested that bone regeneration in the critical-sized defects is possible without the use of growth factors or stem cells if the materials and the bone implants are suitably designed.