Bio-active composites as scaffold materials for bone tissue engineering: Performance and prospects

Bone healing is a synergistic treatment process associated with osteogenic cells, cell signaling, and blood vascularization. Composite scaffolds made of bioactive materials have been systematically utilized for tissue reconstruction. The utilization of composite materials not only provides the required mechanical stability to the scaffold but also improves its biological activity. For the best clinical outcome, a scaffold should have good bio-responsive functions such as good biodegradability, high bioactivity, and excellent osteoconductivity. The development of bioactive materials capable of adapting to in vivo tissue functions in response to dynamic physiological changes and bio-mechanical activities is an important challenge in bone tissue engineering. The current situation of frequent medical prosthetic failure is primarily associated with deficiencies in materials performance due to mismatched tissue morphology, inert bioactivity, and mechanical failure. In fact, optimal clinical grade tissue engineering materials remain elusive. Here, we present a brief review of the current status of composite materials, especially the composites made of bioactive polymers such as naturally derived collagen, silk fibrin, and chitosan, and their usage in bone-tissue engineering. Critical aspects such as composition, fabrication technique, and mechanical properties of composite materials in the development of efficient scaffolds for bone regeneration have been discussed.