A new type of calcium polyphosphate incorporated into bioinspired alginate/polyacrylic acid (CPP/PAA-Alg) hybrid double network (DN) hydrogel has been prepared for bone regeneration, in order to overcome the low mechanical strength and difficult bonding of hydrogels to bones—the major limitations of hydrogels used in bone-regeneration.

A new study published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules investigated the morphology, mechanical properties, swelling, biocompatibility, osseointegration and osteogenic ability of this CPP/PAA-Alg DN hydrogel.

The results showed that CPP/PAA-Alg DN hydrogel that has a highly porous microstructure, possesses a high water absorption capacity and greater strength, which meet the requirements of bone repairing. While in vitro studies revealed that the CPP/PAA-Alg DN hydrogels can support the spread of cells and promote cell proliferation. Furthermore, animal studies demonstrated that the CPP incorporated would enhance the osseointegration of DN hydrogel with host bone at an early stage after implantation, to accelerate the regeneration of bone.

It was stated that these findings may provide a new way to develop biocompatible biomaterials having high mechanical strength and good osseointegration capacity, to meet the needs of bone regeneration.

Source: Guo F, Huang K, Niu J et al. Enhanced Osseointegration of Double Network Hydrogels via Calcium Polyphosphate Incorporation for Bone Regeneration. Int J Biol Macromol. 2019. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.10.155