Calcium phosphate with well controlled nanostructure for tissue engineering

Calcium phosphates comprise a large family of compounds with important biological applications, including osteologic implant coatings, grafts, scaffolds and bone cavity fillings, and vehicles for drug, protein and gene delivery, due to its similarity with the mineral constituents of human bones and teeth. Properties of calcium phosphate, including bioactivity, biocompatibility, solubility, mechanical properties and absorption can be tailored over wide ranges by controlling the particle composition, size, morphology and assembly. For these reasons, it is of great importance to develop synthesis methods focused on the precise control of particle size, morphology, and chemical composition. Herein, we present our approaches related with calcium phosphate with careful size and structural control through template guided process. First, HA nanorods were prepared through hydrothermal method. Phosphate ester was used as the structure directing agent. After hydrothermal treatment, calcium phosphate rods were obtained with well controlled particle size and porosity. Second, sodium salt carboxymethyl cellulose (CIVIC) was used as the template to guide the formation and assembly of HA nanoparticles. The composites contain nano-sized hydroxyapatite with structural features close to those of biological apatites. These composites with special structural features might be attractive for bone tissue engineering applications. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.