Nanomaterials for Bone Reconstructive Composites - Nanotechnology and Human Health - page 75

It can be concluded that there is still a lot of controversy about the use
of CNTs. More research into the biological interactions between the body
and CNTs is an absolute necessity before application in bone-substituting
materials as such can be considered. However, with increased knowledge on
minimizing or completely eliminating the toxicity of this material, it might
be possible to take advantage of the unique characteristics of CNTs for tissue
engineering applications.
4.5 Summary
From this overview, it can be concluded that nanomaterials can play an
important role in future (bone) tissue engineering applications. Already,
many positive reports on nanoceramics, nanofibers, and CNTs exist. The
materials have the ability to improve biocompatibility, mechanical, and elec-
trical properties of bone tissue engineering constructs. These constructs can
even be further modified by incorporation of biological agents. On the other
hand, toxicological issues associated with the nanoscale size of these materi-
als might have a negative effect, which is most evident for CNTs. Therefore,
extensive research on each new application of nanomaterials is required.
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