Dehydrothermally crosslinked collagen/hydroxyapatite composite for enhanced in vivo bone repair

Bone repair accounts for a large number of surgical operations. However, artificial bone replacement materials do not present the delicate continuing adjustment ability like natural bones and cause obvious side effects. Thus, materials that induce the regeneration of bones would be an optimal choice to repair bone tissues. This study proposes a biocompatible bone repair material prepared from crosslinked porous composite of collagen and hydroxyapatite. The proposed dehydrothermal method to cross-link the composite avoids use of extra chemical reagents for crosslinking and ensures that the materials were prepared using only bio-compatible materials. By adjusting the preparative parameters such as componential ratios or heating period, materials with a large property space could be achieved. Properties including porosity, mechanical strength, and swelling ratios could be facilely adjusted, promising its applications in personalized medical treatment. Cell experiments and animal experiments demonstrate the material presented high biocompatibility and effectively induced osteanagenesis in vivo. We expect the proposed material possesses high commercialization potential and serves as an effective bone repair material in realistic applications.