Authors: Park, Grace E.; Webster, Thomas J.

Source: Journal of Biomedical Nanotechnology, Volume 1, Number 1, March 2005 , pp. 18-29(12)

Publisher: American Scientific Publishers

Abstract:

Over the past 9 decades of administering bioimplants to humans, most synthetic prostheses consist of material particles and/or grain sizes with conventional dimensions (on the order of 1 to 10⁴ m). But the lack of sufficient bonding of synthetic implants to surrounding body tissues have, in recent years, led to the investigations of novel material formulations. One such classification of materials, nanomaterials (or materials with constituent components less than 100 nm in at least one direction), can be used to synthesize implants with similar surface roughness to that of natural tissues. Natural tissues have numerous nanometer features available for cellular interactions, since they are composed of many nanostructures (specifically, proteins). Several nanophase biomedical implants are currently being investigated, and are likely to gain approval for clinical use in the near future. The critical factor for this drive is the increasingly documented special, biologically improved material properties of nanophase implants compared to conventional grain-size formulations of the same material chemistry. In this manner, this review paper highlights a novel property of nanophase materials that makes them attractive for use as implants: enhanced cytocompatibility leading to increased tissue regeneration. Active works are focused in the domains of orthopedic, dental, bladder, neurologic, vascular, cartilage, and cardiovascular applications. However, only orthopedic applications, which are the closest to clinical applications, will be emphasized herein. This entry will briefly articulate the seeming revolutionary changes and the potential gains nanostructured materials can make for bone implant technology.

Keywords: NANOPHASE; CERAMICS; METALS; POLYMERS; COMPOSITES; ORTHOPEDIC IMPLANTS; TISSUE ENGINEERING

Document Type: Review article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1166/jbn.2005.003

Publication date: 2005-03-01

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• Journal of Biomedical Nanotechnology (JBN) is a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary journal providing broad coverage in all research areas focused on the applications of nanotechnology in medicine, drug delivery systems, infectious disease, biomedical sciences, biotechnology, and all other related fields of life sciences.
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