Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine seek biomaterials with potent
regenerative potential in vivo. The bioceramics superfamily represents versatile
inorganic materials with exceptional compatibility with living cells and tissues. They
can be classified into three distinctive groups including almost bioinert (e.g., alumina
and zirconia), bioactive (bioactive glasses (BGs)), and bioresorbable (e.g., calcium
phosphates (CaPs)) ceramics. Regarding their physicochemical and mechanical
properties, bioceramics have been traditionally used for orthopedic and dental
applications; however, they are now being utilized for soft tissue healing and cancer
theranostics due to their tunable chemical composition and characteristics. From a
biological perspective, bioceramics exhibit great opportunities for tissue repair and
regeneration thanks to their capability of improving cell growth and proliferation,
inducing neovascularization, and rendering antibacterial activity. Different
formulations of bioceramics with diverse shapes (fine powder, particles, pastes, blocks,
etc.) and sizes (micro/ nanoparticles) are now available on the market and used in the
clinic. Moreover, bioceramics are routinely mixed into natural and synthetic
biopolymers to extend their applications in tissue engineering and regenerative
medicine approaches. Current research is now focusing on the fabrication of
personalized bioceramic-based scaffolds using three-dimensional (3D) printing
technology in order to support large-volume defect tissue regeneration. It is predicted
that more commercialized products of bioceramics will be available for managing both
hard and soft tissue injuries in the near future, either in bare or in combination with
other biomaterials.
Keywords: Additive manufacturing, Angiogenesis, Antibacterial activity, Anticancer activity, Bioactive glasses (BGs), Bioinert ceramics, Bioresorbable ceramics, Biofabrication, Bone regeneration, Calcium phosphates, Composite, Clinical trials, Drug delivery, Hydroxyapatite (HAp), Regenerative medicine, Scaffolds, Soft tissue healing, Tissue engineering, Three-dimensional (3D) printing, Wound healing.
