Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
pyrolysis of vegetable precursors, and the final product is a ceramic
material with open and interconnected porosity.
9
,
12
,
14
,
15
Moreover,
the biodiversity of the natural grown vegetable structures offers a
large variety of templates, with different density, morphology, pore
shape,poresize,andinterconnection,leadingtobioinspiredmateri-
als with optimized microstructure and tailorable properties, similar
to thoseof the tissue to beregenerated.
16
,
17
Besides the scaffold architecture, it is also relevant to notice that
bonetissueengineeringscaffoldsshouldhaveenhancedosteoinduc-
tivefunctionsandshouldpromotethespecificmorphogenicprocess
by controlling the chemistry of the scaffolds and, therefore, induc-
ing cells to differentiate in a predetermined manner and to regen-
erate by themselves the desired tissue according to physiological
pathways.
1
,
2
Consequently, as part of the integral design of scaf-
folds, the incorporation of bone growth factors or specific peptide
sequences into the scaffolds should be considered. Moreover, the
functionalization of the scaffold surface and the incorporation of
bonelike chemical composition coatings, such as hydroxyapatite,
substituted apatites, or silica-based glasses, can improve the bioac-
tiveand osteoconductive properties of the scaffolds.
3
The experimental studies conducted to date on the develop-
ment of SiC ceramics based on biologically derived structures
indicate that this innovative material maintains the suitable
structure-morphology for optimum ingrowth of bone tissue.
11
It
has been demonstrated as well that the bioderived ceramics can
be tailored simultaneously matching the mechanical properties of
the host
15
,
16
and becoming bioactive by a suitable coating.
10
,
11
,
15
,
18
Moreover, the SiC ceramics is radiographically distinguishable from
the new bone, and in addition the porous structure can be used as a
delivery system for drugs and growth factors, which opens the door
to a whole new generation of bioderived scaffolds for regenerative
medicine applications.
2.2 Bioinspired SiC Ceramics
Bioinspired SiC ceramics can be produced from a large variety of
natural cellulose templates. In fact, the fabrication of bio-SiC from
Search WWH ::
Custom Search