Bioceramics to regulate stem cells and their microenvironment for tissue regeneration

Bioceramics have been used for the replacement and repair of damaged hard tissues for about 50 years, in which the mechanical properties and biocompatibility of the materials are critical factors to be considered for their clinical applications. Recently, more and more studies have demonstrated that bioceramics with specific chemical composition and topographical structure have activity to regulate the fate of stem cells and the interaction with their microenvironment, which result in enhanced tissue regeneration including hard and soft tissues. These findings open up a new direction to explore the possibility of designing new biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine based on the specific biological function of the chemical and topographical characteristics of the biomaterials. In this review, we focus on the roles of the chemical characteristics such as bioactive ions released from bioceramics and the structural characteristics such as micro/nano surface topography of bioceramics in regulating stem cells and their microenvironment to enhance tissue regeneration. Furthermore, considering the bioactivity of ions on soft tissue related cells, the design and potential applications of bioceramics for soft tissue regeneration are also discussed, and the future perspectives of the bioceramics research from the points of both materials engineering and biological science are proposed.