The application of inorganic nanomaterials in bone tissue engineering

With the development of new technique, more and more attention has paid on the biomimetic materials, particularly in the field of tissue engineering. And bone tissue engineering is a novel method to form new bone using the biomaterials and cells at the same time. Biomaterials, which imitate the structure and composition of bone tissues at the scale of nanometer, are of great importance in the bone tissue engineering applications. Generally speaking, natural polymer-based composites containing chitin, chitosan, or collagen have superiorities, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability which are needed for bone tissue engineering. The addition of inorganic nanoparticles into the polymer matrix could increase the mechanical properties and bioactivity, moreover, the mix of inorganic nanoparticles could imitate the nanostructure of natural bone as far as possible. In this paper, we will give a general review about the application of various inorganic nanoparticles in bone tissue engineering at home. Through the introduction of these inorganic nanoparticles, authors hope that readers could generate a new understanding of the biological simulation.