An overview of collagen/bioceramic and synthetic collagen for bone tissue engineering

Abstract

Bone defect due to diseases or injuries is one of the significant health concerns in the present times, more so among the aging population. With rapid advancements in the field of tissue engineering and biomaterials, numerous substitutes for natural bone in the form of scaffold materials and fillers have been made possible. Collagen and hydroxyapatite, being the two most important mineral-organic matrix constituents of the bone play a significant role in providing strength and structure to the bone as well as maintaining its remodeling processes. This mineral-organic matrix of bone is the main component that provides not only the structural framework to the bone but also ensures its desired elasticity and strength. In recent times, the excellent biocompatibility and osteoconductive behavior of collagen have gained a lot of attention in the field of bone tissue engineering. In order to further improve the properties of collagen as a bone substitute, it is combined with bioceramics. This paper focuses on the combinations of collagen with different bioceramics to obtain composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. Besides providing a detailed explanation of collagen and bone structure, along with the properties of various ceramics being combined with collagen, this paper throws light on the future of the collagen composites involving synthetic collagen that overcomes the limitation of depending on natural sources for obtaining collagen.