Magnetic mesoporous carbonated hydroxyapatite microspheres with hierarchical nanostructure for drug delivery systems

Biological Properties and Medical Applications of Carbonate Apatite: A Systematic Review

Bone defects represent an everyday challenge for clinicians who work in the fields of orthopedic surgery, maxillofacial and oral surgery, otorhinolaryngology, and dental implantology. Various bone substitutes have been developed and utilized, according to the needs of bone reconstructive surgery. Carbonate apatite has gained popularity in recent years, due to its excellent tissue behavior and osteoconductive potential. This systematic review aims to evaluate the role of carbonate apatite in bone reconstructive surgery and tissue engineering, analyze its advantages and limitations, and suggest further directions for research and development. The Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus electronic databases were searched for relevant review articles, published from January 2014 to 21 July 2023. The study was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Eighteen studies were included in the present review. The biological properties and medical applications of carbonate apatite (CO3Ap) are discussed and evaluated. The majority of articles demonstrated that CO3Ap has excellent biocompatibility, resorbability, and osteoconductivity. Furthermore, it resembles bone tissue and causes minimal immunological reactions. Therefore, it may be successfully utilized in various medical applications, such as bone substitution, scaffolding, implant coating, drug delivery, and tissue engineering.

Fabrication of Porous Phosphate/Carbonate Composites: Smart Fertilizer with Bimodal Controlled-Release Kinetics and Glyphosate Adsorption Ability

A simple method to prepare phosphate/carbonate composites for use as porous sponge-like phosphate fertilizers (ps-PO₄Fs) is presented. The composites ps-PO₄Fs were prepared by ion-exchange implantation of phosphate onto the surface of vaterite-phase calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) microparticles. The ps-PO₄Fs obtained under the optimized conditions were found to contain a nanoscale porous network of calcium phosphate covering the CaCO₃ support. In addition, ps-PO₄Fs exhibited two distinct phosphate release modes having different kinetics: a fast-release step over the initial 24 h period following a parabolic diffusion model, indicating controlled diffusion from external surfaces/edges, and a second slow-release step over the course of a month following the Ritger-Peppas model, indicating the release and diffusion of phosphate adsorbed at specific sites. The ps-PO₄Fs also adsorbed glyphosate well because of their porous structure and large surface area. However, glyphosate adsorption prevented phosphate release at concentrations greater than 10 mg L^-1. The ps-PO₄Fs were tested for their effects on plant growth and showed effects similar to commercial fertilizers. In summary, these smart, eco-friendly, and multifunctional fertilizers having two-stage phosphate release could enable the application of lower amounts of fertilizer and remove excess glyphosate from the environment.

Smart Cargo Delivery System based on Mesoporous Nanoparticles for Bone Disease Diagnosis and Treatment

Bone diseases constitute a major issue for modern societies as a consequence of progressive aging. Advantages such as open mesoporous channel, high specific surface area, ease of surface modification, and multifunctional integration are the driving forces for the application of mesoporous nanoparticles (MNs) in bone disease diagnosis and treatment. To achieve better therapeutic effects, it is necessary to understand the properties of MNs and cargo delivery mechanisms, which are the foundation and key in the design of MNs. The main types and characteristics of MNs for bone regeneration, such as mesoporous silica (mSiO2 ), mesoporous hydroxyapatite (mHAP), mesoporous calcium phosphates (mCaPs) are introduced. Additionally, the relationship between the cargo release mechanisms and bone regeneration of MNs-based nanocarriers is elucidated in detail. Particularly, MNs-based smart cargo transport strategies such as sustained cargo release, stimuli-responsive (e.g., pH, photo, ultrasound, and multi-stimuli) controllable delivery, and specific bone-targeted therapy for bone disease diagnosis and treatment are analyzed and discussed in depth. Lastly, the conclusions and outlook about the design and development of MNs-based cargo delivery systems in diagnosis and treatment for bone tissue engineering are provided to inspire new ideas and attract researchers' attention from multidisciplinary areas spanning chemistry, materials science, and biomedicine.

Tailored Mesoporous Inorganic Biomaterials: Assembly, Functionalization, and Drug Delivery Engineering

Infectious or immune diseases have caused serious threat to human health due to their complexity and specificity, and emerging drug delivery systems (DDSs) have evolved into the most promising therapeutic strategy for drug-targeted therapy. Various mesoporous biomaterials are exploited and applied as efficient nanocarriers to loading drugs by virtue of their large surface area, high porosity, and prominent biocompatibility. Nanosized mesoporous nanocarriers show great potential in biomedical research, and it has become the research hotspot in the interdisciplinary field. Herein, recent progress and assembly mechanisms on mesoporous inorganic biomaterials (e.g., silica, carbon, metal oxide) are summarized systematically, and typical functionalization methods (i.e., hybridization, polymerization, and doping) for nanocarriers are also discussed in depth. Particularly, structure-activity relationship and the effect of physicochemical parameters of mesoporous biomaterials, including morphologies (e.g., hollow, core-shell), pore textures (e.g., pore size, pore volume), and surface features (e.g., roughness and hydrophilic/hydrophobic) in DDS application are overviewed and elucidated in detail. As one of the important development directions, advanced stimuli-responsive DDSs (e.g., pH, temperature, redox, ultrasound, light, magnetic field) are highlighted. Finally, the prospect of mesoporous biomaterials in disease therapeutics is stated, and it will open a new spring for the development of mesoporous nanocarriers.

Calcium-based biomaterials for diagnosis, treatment, and theranostics

Calcium-based biomaterials with good biosafety and bio-absorbability are promising for biomedical applications such as diagnosis, treatment, and theranostics.

Recent progress on fabrication and drug delivery applications of nanostructured hydroxyapatite

Through this brief review, we provide a comprehensive historical background of the development of nanostructured hydroxyapatite (nHAp), and its application potentials for controlled drug delivery, drug conjugation, and other biomedical treatments. Aspects associated with efficient utilization of hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanostructures such as their synthesis, interaction with drug molecules, and other concerns, which need to be resolved before they could be used as a potential drug carrier in body system, are discussed. This review focuses on the evolution of perceptions, practices, and accomplishments in providing improved delivery systems for drugs until date. The pioneering developments that have presaged today's fascinating state of the art drug delivery systems based on HAp and HAp-based composite nanostructures are also discussed. Special emphasis has been given to describe the application and effectiveness of modified HAp as drug carrier agent for different diseases such as bone-related disorders, carriers for antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, carcinogenic drugs, medical imaging, and protein delivery agents. As only a very few published works made comprehensive evaluation of HAp nanostructures for drug delivery applications, we try to cover the three major areas: concepts, practices and achievements, and applications, which have been consolidated and patented for their practical usage. The review covers a broad spectrum of nHAp and HAp modified inorganic drug carriers, emphasizing some of their specific aspects those needed to be considered for future drug delivery applications. This article is categorized under: Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanomaterials and Implants Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Respiratory Disease Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Cells at the Nanoscale.

Biomimetically grown apatite spheres from aggregated bioglass nanoparticles with ultrahigh porosity and surface area imply potential drug delivery and cell engineering applications

Here we communicate the generation of biomimetically grown apatite spheres from aggregated bioglass nanoparticles and the potential properties applicable for drug delivery and cell/tissue engineering. Ion releasing nanoparticulates of bioglass (85%SiO₂-15%CaO) in a mineralizing medium show an intriguing dynamic phenomenon - aggregation, mineralization to apatite, integration and growth into micron-sized (1.5-3μm) spheres. During the progressive ionic dissolution/precipitation reactions, nano-to-micro-morphology, glass-to-crystal composition, and the physico-chemical properties (porosity, surface area, and charge) change dynamically. With increasing reaction period, the apatite becomes more crystallized with increased crystallinity and crystal size, and gets a composition closer to the stoichiometry. The developed microspheres exhibit hierarchical surface nanostructure, negative charge (ς-potential of -20mV), and ultrahigh mesoporosity (mesopore size of 6.1nm, and the resultant surface area of 63.7m²/g and pore volume of 0.153cm³/g) at 14days of mineralization, which are even higher than those of its precursor bioglass nanoparticles. Thanks to these properties, the biomimetic mineral microspheres take up biological molecules effectively, i.e., loading capacity of positive-charged protein is over 10%. Of note, the release is highly sustainable at a constant rate, i.e., profiling almost 'zero-order' kinetics for 4weeks, suggesting the potential usefulness as protein delivery systems. The biomimetic mineral microspheres hold some remnant Si in the core region, and release calcium, phosphate, and silicate ions over the test period, implying the long-term ionic-related therapeutic functions. The mesenchymal stem cells favour the biomimetic spheres with an excellent viability. Due to the merit of sizes (a few micrometers), the spheres can be intercalated into cells, mediating cellular interactions in 3D cell-spheroid engineering, and also can stimulate osteogenic differentiation of cells when incorporated into cell-laden gels. The intriguing properties observed in this study, including biomimetic composition, high mesoporosity, release of therapeutic ions, effective loading and long-term release of proteins, and diverse yet favorable 3D cellular interactions, suggest great potential of the newly developed biomimetic microspheres in biomedical applications, such as drug delivery and cell/tissue engineering.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

This work reports the generation of apatite spheres with a few micrometers in size biomimetically grown from bioactive glass nanoparticles, through a series of intriguing yet unprecedented phenomenon involving aggregation of nanoparticles, mineralization and sphere growth. The mineral microspheres possess some unique physico-chemical properties including mesoporosity, ultrahigh surface area, and therapeutic ionic release. Furthermore, the spheres show excellent loading and delivery capacity of protein molecules, and mediate favorable cellular interactions in 2D and 3D culture conditions, demonstrating a future multifunctional microcarrier platform for the therapeutics delivery and cell/tissue engineering.

Functional calcium phosphate composites in nanomedicine

Calcium phosphate (CaP) materials have many peculiar and intriguing properties. In nature, CaP is found in nanostructured form embedded in a soft proteic matrix as the main mineral component of bones and teeth. The extraordinary stoichiometric flexibility, the different stabilities exhibited by its different forms as a function of pH and the highly dynamic nature of its surface ions, render CaP one of the most versatile materials for nanomedicine. This review summarizes some of the guidelines so far emerged for the synthesis of CaP composites in aqueous media that endow the material with tailored crystallinity, morphology, size, and functional properties. First, we introduce very briefly the areas of application of CaP within the nanomedicine field. Then through some selected examples, we review some synthetic routes where the presence of functional units (small templating molecules like surfactants, or oligomers and polymers) assists the synthesis and at the same time impart the functionality or the responsiveness desired for the end-application of the material. Finally, we illustrate two examples from our laboratory, where CaP is decorated by biologically active polymers or prepared within a thermo- and magneto-responsive hydrogel, respectively.

Doxorubicin loaded large-pore mesoporous hydroxyapatite coated superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles for cancer treatment

In the present study, a series of multifunctional drug delivery systems based on mesostructured hydroxyapatite coating and superparamagnetic nanoparticles with pH-responsive characters was prepared. The structure of each new synthesized nanoscale composite was fully characterized by XRD, FTIR, TEM, VSM and BET. The results showed a good ordered mesostructure having large pores, high pore volume, high surface area, and varied super paramagnetic properties. The mesoporous hydroxyapatite coated super paramagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles were applied as a drug delivery carrier loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) as a model drug. The storage/release properties of the developed nonocarriers in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) were studied in two certain pHs: pH=7.4 (the human blood pH) and pH=5.5 (pH of cancer cells). The large pores in the synthesized mesoporous acted as an excellent carrier for DOX molecules with a loading efficiency of ≈93% which is much higher than that of the conventional hydroxyapatite particles. When the pH of the release medium (PBS) was changed from 7.4 to 5.5, the drug release increased significantly from 10% of the adsorbed drug to about 70%. DOX-loaded mesostructure hydroxyapatite reduced the viability of SKBR3 and T47D cells by 54.7 and 57.3%, respectively, which were very similar to 56.8 and 60.4% reduction resulted from free DOX incubation. This new drug delivery system which benefits from both super paramagnetic properties and pH-responsive performances may serve as a suitable platform for developing new biocompatible drug carriers and could have a good potential use in targeted cancer therapy.

Polyethyleneimine-stabilized hydroxyapatite nanoparticles modified with hyaluronic acid for targeted drug delivery

Preparation of polyethyleneimine stabilized hydroxyapatite nanoparticles modified with hyaluronic acid for targeted drug delivery.

Design of Silk-Vaterite Microsphere Systems as Drug Carriers with pH-responsive Release Behavior

Improving the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapy remains a key goal for cancer therapy. Various passive and active targeting strategies have been developed to facilitate drug release targeted to cancer lesions, but actively designing tunable drug release behavior for these needs remains a challenge. As a step towards this need, silk-vaterite microspheres were fabricated and utilized as carriers to tune drug release. Doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded on the microspheres with high efficiency and the release behavior was regulated by tuning the microspheres via thermal processing. In vitro cell inhibition results showed that the drug-loaded microspheres had different cytotoxic efficiencies depending on the DOX release rates. Better efficacy at lower drug doses suggests options to optimize anticancer effects while minimizing toxic side effects. The tunable drug release capacity combined with the inherent passive targeting property of vaterite-based carriers based on pH sensitivity suggests a promising system for enhanced efficacy of chemotherapy.

In vitro comparison of three rifampicin loading methods in a reinforced porous β-tricalcium phosphate scaffold

The antibiotic compound, rifampicin (RFP), was loaded into porous reinforced β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) scaffolds using three different solution adsorption methods. This resulted in drug delivery systems (DDS) generated by vacuum adsorption (VA), dynamic adsorption (DA), and static adsorption (SA). In vitro examination of the drug loading and release profiles of the DDS indicated that the unit mass of RFP loaded into the scaffold by the VA method (0.44 mg/g) was higher than that achieved by SA (0.42 mg/g) or DA (0.38 mg/g) (P < 0.05). The mechanical strength had no significant change after RFP-loading (P > 0.05). Moreover, there were no significant differences among the mechanical strength of three β-TCP DDS generated by loading RFP using SA, DA, and VA (P > 0.05). In vitro release testing showed an initial burst release of RFP from the three different DDS within the first 3 h and in the first 51 h, the cumulative release of RFP from VA-DDS, DA-DDS, and SA-DDS had reached 56.2, 83.6, and 88.6 %, respectively. Complete RFP release had occurred from VA-DDS, DA-DDS, and SA-DDS after 23, 17, and 15 days, respectively. As the VA-DDS method showed improved RFP loading and a more sustained drug release, this method is recommended for solution adsorption drug loading into porous β-TCP scaffolds to form a DDS.

Magnetic cellulose–TiO2 nanocomposite microspheres for highly selective enrichment of phosphopeptides

Novel magnetic cellulose–TiO₂ nanocomposite microspheres were prepared successfully by in situ synthesis of TiO₂ nanoparticles in the micro/nanopores of cellulose–Fe₃O₄ microsphere, which exhibited highly selective enrichment of trace phosphopeptides, as a result of the high-efficiency Lewis acid–base reaction.

Fabrication of calcium phosphate microcapsules using emulsion droplets stabilized with branched copolymers as templates

An efficient emulsion templating route using branched copolymers as droplet stabilizers for the synthesis of fluorescently labelled calcium phosphate capsules.

Hierarchically nanostructured hydroxyapatite microspheres as drug delivery carriers and their effects on cell viability

The hydroxyapatite microspheres prepared by hydrothermal synthesis exhibit excellent biocompatibility, high GS-loading efficiency, controllable GS release property and bactericidal property.

Advances in synthesis of calcium phosphate crystals with controlled size and shape

Calcium phosphate (CaP) materials have a wide range of applications, including biomaterials, adsorbents, chemical engineering materials, catalysts and catalyst supports and mechanical reinforcements. The size and shape of CaP crystals and aggregates play critical roles in their applications. The main inorganic building blocks of human bones and teeth are nanocrystalline CaPs; recently, much progress has been made in the application of CaP nanocrystals and their composites for clinical repair of damaged bone and tooth. For example, CaPs with special micro- and nanostructures can better imitate the biomimetic features of human bone and tooth, and this offers significantly enhanced biological performances. Therefore, the design of CaP nano-/microcrystals, and the shape and hierarchical structures of CaPs, have great potential to revolutionize the field of hard tissue engineering, starting from bone/tooth repair and augmentation to controlled drug delivery devices. Previously, a number of reviews have reported the synthesis and properties of CaP materials, especially for hydroxyapatite (HAp). However, most of them mainly focused on the characterizations and physicochemical and biological properties of HAp particles. There are few reviews about the control of particle size and size distribution of CaPs, and in particular the control of nano-/microstructures on bulk CaP ceramic surfaces, which is a big challenge technically and may have great potential in tissue engineering applications. This review summarizes the current state of the art for the synthesis of CaP crystals with controlled sizes from the nano- to the macroscale, and the diverse shapes including the zero-dimensional shapes of particles and spheres, the one-dimensional shapes of rods, fibers, wires and whiskers, the two-dimensional shapes of sheets, disks, plates, belts, ribbons and flakes and the three-dimensional (3-D) shapes of porous, hollow, and biomimetic structures similar to biological bone and tooth. In addition, this review will also summarize studies on the controlled formation of nano-/microstructures on the surface of bulk ceramics, and the preparation of macroscopical bone grafts with 3-D architecture nano-/microstructured surfaces. Moreover, the possible directions of future research and development in this field, such as the detailed mechanisms behind the size and shape control in various strategies, the importance of theoretical simulation, self-assembly, biomineralization and sacrificial precursor strategies in the fabrication of biomimetic bone-like and enamel-like CaP materials are proposed.

Fabrication and Lead Ion Removal Property of Magnetic Hydroxyapatite Composite with Hierarchically Urchin-like Microstructure

The hierarchically urchin-like magnetic hydroxyapatite (HAp)/Fe3O4 composites were hydrothermally fabricated and were used for the removal of Pb (II) from aqueous solutions. The morphology, composition and properties of the magnetic HAp/Fe3O4 composites were fully characterized and investigated. The results showed that the HAp/Fe3O4 composites had a 3D urchin-like hierarchical structure with Fe3O4 nanoparticles dispersed among the building units. These urchin-like composites had high surface area and good magnetic responsibility. The equilibrium removal process of Pb (II) by the composites was correlated well with the Langmuir model, resulting in the maximum adsorption capacity of 223.71 mg/g. The high adsorption capacity and good magnetic responsibility suggest that the multifunctional composites have great potentials for heavy metal ion removal.

Facile in situ growth of Fe3O4 nanoparticles on hydroxyapatite nanorods for pH dependent adsorption and controlled release of proteins

The magnetic hydroxyapatite nanostructures were prepared by hydrothermal technique and studied their protein adsorption and in vitro cytotoxicity in humen MGC-803 cell.

Organoamine-assisted biomimetic synthesis of faceted hexagonal hydroxyapatite nanotubes with prominent stimulation activity for osteoblast proliferation

Uniform single-crystalline hydroxyapatite nanotubes are synthesized via a distinctive organoamines-assisted biomimetic route, and exhibit exceptional performance in stimulating osteoblast proliferation.

Aptamers: molecules of great potential

Aptamers emerged over 20 years ago as a class of nucleic acids able to recognize specific targets. Today, aptamer-related studies constitute a large and important field of biotechnology. Functional oligonucleotides have proved to be a versatile tool in biomedical research due to the ease of synthesis, a wide range of potentially recognized molecular targets and the simplicity of selection. Similarly to antibodies, aptamers can be used to detect or isolate specific molecules, as well as to act as targeting and therapeutic agents. In this review we present different approaches to aptamer application in nanobiotechnology, diagnostics and medicine.

Bactericidal property and biocompatibility of gentamicin-loaded mesoporous carbonated hydroxyapatite microspheres

Implant-associated infection is a serious problem in orthopaedic surgery. One of the most effective ways is to introduce a controlled antibiotics delivery system into the bone filling materials, achieving sustained release of antibiotics in the local sites of bone defects. In the present work, mesoporous carbonated hydroxyapatite microspheres (MCHMs) loaded with gentamicin have been fabricated according to the following stages: (i) the preparation of the MCHMs by hydrothermal method using calcium carbonate microspheres as sacrificial templates, and (ii) loading gentamicin into the MCHMs. The MCHMs exhibit the 3D hierarchical nanostructures constructed by nanoplates as building blocks with mesopores and macropores, which make them have the higher drug loading efficiency of 70-75% than the conventional hydroxyapatite particles (HAPs) of 20-25%. The gentamicin-loaded MCHMs display the sustained drug release property, and the controlled release of gentamicin can minimize significantly bacterial adhesion and prevent biofilm formation against S. epidermidis. The biocompatibility tests by using human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) as cell models indicate that the gentamicin-loaded MCHMs have as excellent biocompatibility as the HAPs, and the dose of the released gentamicin from the MCHMs has no toxic effects on the hBMSCs. Hence, the gentamicin-loaded MCHMs can be served as a simple, non-toxic and controlled drug delivery system to treat bone infections.

In vitro study of vancomycin release and osteoblast-like cell growth on structured calcium phosphate-collagen

A drug delivery vehicle consisting of spherical calcium phosphate-collagen particles covered by flower-like (SFCaPCol) blossoms composed of nanorod building blocks and their cellular response is studied. The spherical structure was achieved by a combination of sonication and freeze-drying. The SFCaPCol blossoms have a high surface area of approximately 280 m(2) g(-1). The blossom-like formation having a high surface area allows a drug loading efficiency of 77.82%. The release profile for one drug, vancomycin (VCM), shows long term sustained release in simulated body fluid (SBF), in a phosphate buffer saline (PBS, pH 7.4) solution and in culture media over 2 weeks with a cumulative release ~53%, 75% and 50%, respectively, over the first 7 days. The biocompatibility of the VCM-loaded SFCaPCol scaffold was determined by in vitro cell adhesion and proliferation tests of rat osteoblast-like UMR-106 cells. MTT tests indicated that UMR-106 cells were viable after exposure to the VCM loaded SFCaPCol, meaning that the scaffold (the flower-like blossoms) did not impair the cell's viability. The density of cells on the substrate was seen to increase with increasing cultured time.

Aptamer-capped multifunctional mesoporous strontium hydroxyapatite nanovehicle for cancer-cell-responsive drug delivery and imaging

A novel cancer-cells-triggered controlled-release gadolinium-doped luminescent and mesoporous strontium hydroxyapatite nanorods (designated as Gd:SrHap nanorods) system using cell-type-specific aptamers as caps has been constructed. Aptamers behave as a dual-functional molecule that acts as not only a lid but also a targeted molecular that can be used in an effective way for therapeutically special cancer cells. After incubated with cancer cells, for example, MCF-7 cells, the doxorubicin-loaded and aptamer-capped Gd:SrHap nanorods (designated as Gd:SrHap-Dox-aptamer) can be internalized into MCF-7 cells, resulting in the pore opening and drug releasing. Furthermore, the high biocompatibility and biodegradability Gd:SrHap nanorods with blue autofluorescence and paramagnetism could serve as a good contrast agent of targeting fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging. We envision that this Gd:SrHap system could play a significant role in developing new generations of site-selective, controlled-release delivery and interactive sensory nanodevices.

Fabrication and characterization of dendrimer-functionalized mesoporous hydroxyapatite

A successful synthesis of mesostructured hydroxyapatite (HAp) using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and poly(amido amine) dendrimer porogens has been reported. A comparative study of physicochemical properties has also been performed. The formation of a single-phase hydroxyapatite crystal in synthesized HAp particles with an aspect ratio of 2.3 was revealed. The formation of the mesostructural nature of HAp was proven with a specific surface area (56-63 m(2)/g) and a certain pore size (4.7-5.5 nm), although there were significant differences between particles from surfactant micelle and dendrimer porogens. In addition, the surface modification of mesoporous HAp particles was carried out using poly(amido amine) dendrimer. The content and thickness of the dendrimer coating on particle surfaces were highly dependent on the pH. At pH 9 or greater, the coating thickness corresponded to at least a double layer of dendrimer, but it decreased sharply with decreasing pH from 9 to 6, in agreement with the protonation of amine groups in the dendrimer, indicating the strong interaction of nonionic dendrimer with HAp. The developed dendrimer-functionalized mesoporous hydroxyapatite materials may be applicable in biocomposite material and/or bone tissue engineering.