Biomimetic Bone-like Hydroxyapatite by Mineralization on Supramolecular Porous Fiber Networks

Hydroxyapatite (HA), the main inorganic component of bone tissue, is mineralized with collagen fibril scaffolds during bone formation. Inspired by the process, a self-assembled porous network architecture was designed and synthesized by using the 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidone (UPy) modified glycerol molecule UPy-Gly, which was further utilized as a template for biomimetic mineralization. When incubated in simulated body fluid (SBF), the HA nucleus first formed in the holes of the template by the induction of hydroxyls on the surface, grew along the nanofibers, and fused with the template to fabricate hydroxyapatite composites (UPy-Gly/HA). Transmission electron microscopic observation demonstrates that the mineral clusters are accumulated by lamella-like nano hydroxyapatite and the elasticity modulus measured by atomic force microscopy is about 5.5 GPa, which is quite close to the natural cancellous bone tissue of human both in structure and in mechanical properties. The Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK-8) assay of UPy-Gly and UPy-Gly/HA shows noncytotoxicity to mouse fibroblast L-929 cells. This bioinspired composite will be a promising material for potential use in bone tissue implantation and regeneration engineering.