Natural and synthetic peptide-based biomaterials for bone tissue engineering

Abstract

Introduction Since the dawn of human civilisation, biomaterials used for bone tissue engineering have evolved dramatically. More than 5,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians used carved shells to replace teeth, but today, a bewildering variety of biomaterials, including autografts, allografts, xenografts, demineralised matrices, ceramics, polymers and composites, are used to replace/repair/regenerate bone tissues. Within this potpourri, natural and synthetic peptide-based biomaterials are promising candidates that could facilitate bone regeneration. This owes much to two properties of these peptidic biomaterials: (i) their facile fabrication into two/three-dimensional scaffolds that mimic the extracellular matrix of the bone and (ii) their controlled functionalisation with chemical cues that direct bone tissue growth. This review examines how these two properties could lead to biomaterials that facilitate bone tissue growth. Conclusion In this review, we have shown how biomaterials used for bone regeneration and tissue engineering have progressed from the exploitation of biomaterials extracted from natural sources to the preparation of synthetic peptide-based scaffolds. While a great deal has been learned about fabricating a functional bone biomaterial, much also remains to be uncovered.