Graphene and its nanostructure derivatives for use in bone tissue engineering: Recent advances

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine are advancing rapidly, driven by progress in transplantation and materials science.
• Graphene and its derivatives are gaining significant attention for their potential in bone tissue engineering applications.
• There is a growing need for effective bone graft substitutes due to shortages in autograft and allograft materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advances (2013-2015) in tissue engineering using graphene-biomaterials for bone regeneration.
• To provide a general description of nanostructured graphene derivatives for bone tissue engineering.
• To highlight the exploitation of graphene family nanomaterials in bone tissue engineering.

Main Methods:

• Discussion of essential requirements for bone tissue engineering scaffolds.
• Explanation of the mechanisms by which graphene-based materials promote osteogenesis.
• Review and discussion of the current research status of nanostructured scaffolds.

Main Results:

• Graphene-based materials effectively promote new bone formation.
• Graphene-based bioactive glass shows potential as a drug/growth factor carrier, with established composition-structure-delivery relationships.
• Structural and textural properties of graphene-based materials influence the development of bone implants and cements.

Conclusions:

• Graphene-based biomaterials offer significant potential for bone tissue engineering, with ongoing research into their limitations and future applications.
• Understanding the structure-property-function relationships is crucial for developing advanced graphene-based biomaterials for bone regeneration.
• Future research trends focus on optimizing graphene materials for enhanced bone implant and cement applications.