Affiliations 

  • 1 Materials Synthesis and Characterization Laboratory, Institute of Advanced Technology, Seri Kembangan, Selangor Darul Ehsan, 43400, Malaysia
  • 2 Department of Orthopedics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan, Selangor Darul Ehsan, 43400, Malaysia
Int J Nanomedicine, 2021;16:6477-6496.
PMID: 34584412 DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S298936

Abstract

Hydroxyapatite is a basic mineral that is very important to the human body framework. Recently, synthetic hydroxyapatite (SHA) and its nanocomposites (HANs) are the subject of intense research for bone tissue engineering and drug loading system applications, due to their unique, tailor-made characteristics, as well as their similarities with the bone mineral component in the human body. Although hydroxyapatite has good biocompatibility and osteoconductive characteristics, the poor mechanical strength restricts its use in non-load-bearing applications. Consequently, a rapid increase in reinforcing of other nanomaterials into hydroxyapatite for the formation of HANs could improve the mechanical properties. Most of the research reported on the success of other nanomaterials such as metals, ceramics and natural/synthetic polymers as additions into hydroxyapatite is reviewed. In addition, this review also focuses on the addition of various substances into hydroxyapatite for the formation of various HANs and at the same time to try to minimize the limitations so that various bone tissue engineering and drug loading system applications can be exploited.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.