Hybrid composite materials based on chitosan and gelatin and reinforced with hydroxyapatite for tissue engineering

The fundamentals of the technology are developed for the fabrication of hybrid composite chitosan/gelatin-hydroxyapatite materials aimed for medical applications as porous matrices in regenerating damaged bone tissues, and the properties of the above materials are investigated. They are elastic, having a porosity of up to 90% and pores of up to 700 μm in size; possess controlled dissolution kinetics; contain up to 90 wt % hydroxyapatite or carbonate-substituted hydroxyapatite in the form of nanodisperse powders or granules with a size of up to 500 μm; and are characterized by no cytotoxicity. Their introduction into the site of a bone defect considerably accelerates the process of regeneration in a bone tissue. © 2011 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.