Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have accomplished enormous
progress in the last few years. The application of recently designed nano-textured
surface characteristics has shown increased enhancement in bone tissue regeneration.
The development of materials that fulfill the exact requirements of bone tissue is still
under investigation. However, we are approaching this aim. Composite materials are
some of those materials under consideration, and they have emerged as a consequence
of the logical unraveling of bone composition. Principal components of bone tissue are
inorganic and organic matrices and water, in other words, ceramics and polymers.
Accordingly, the design of these materials by combining different types of ceramics
and polymers has opened a wide range of possibilities for bone regeneration treatments.
Not all polymers nor all ceramics can be used for this purpose. Materials must gather
particular properties to be applied in bone tissue engineering. Both types have to be
safe, which means biocompatible and non-toxic. They, additionally, should have
efficient surface behavior, bioactivity, and suitable mechanical properties. Sometimes,
composites could behave as in situ drug delivery systems. Composites are engineering
materials formed by two or more components, each bringing a unique physical
property, and generating synergism. For these reasons, in this work, we will discuss
features of host tissue, concepts such as bioactivity, osteoconductivity, and
osteoinductivity, and the most significant polymers and ceramics used for developing
composed materials. Finally, we focus on examples of composite materials based on
these components applied for bone tissue regeneration.
Keywords: Alginate, Bioactive glass, Bioactivity, Bioadhesive, Biocompatible, Biodegradability, Bone pathologies, Bone tissue engineering, Calcium phosphate, Collagen, Compact and spongy bone, Gelatin, Hyaluronic acid, Hydroxyapatite, Non-immunogenic, Non-toxic, Polycaprolactone, Polymer/ceramic composites, Tunable properties.
