Bioceramics for osteochondral tissue engineering and regeneration

Considerable advances in tissue engineering and regeneration have been accomplished over the last decade. Bioceramics have been developed to repair, reconstruct, and substitute diseased parts of the body and to promote tissue healing as an alternative to metallic implants. Applications embrace hip, knee, and ligament repair and replacement, maxillofacial reconstruction and augmentation, spinal fusion, bone filler, and repair of periodontal diseases. Bioceramics are well-known for their superior wear resistance, high stiffness, resistance to oxidation, and low coefficient of friction. These specially designed biomaterials are grouped in natural bioceramics (e.g., coral-derived apatites), and synthetic bioceramics, namely bioinert ceramics (e.g., alumina and zirconia), bioactive glasses and glass ceramics, and bioresorbable calcium phosphates-based materials. Physicochemical, mechanical, and biological properties, as well as bioceramics applications in diverse fields of tissue engineering are presented herein. Ongoing clinical trials using bioceramics in osteochondral tissue are also considered. Based on the stringent requirements for clinical applications, prospects for the development of advanced functional bioceramics for tissue engineering are highlighted for the future.The authors acknowledge the project FROnTHERA (NORTE-01-0145- FEDER-000023), supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Also, H2020-MSCA-RISE program, as this work is part of developments carried out in BAMOS project, funded from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement N° 734156. The financial support from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology for the funds provided under the program Investigador FCT 2012, 2014, and 2015 (IF/00423/2012, IF/01214/2014, and IF/01285/2015) is also greatly acknowledged.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio