ABSTRACT
Marine-derived nanocomposite scaffolds consisting of either marine-derived or synthetic biopolymers and coralline-derived nano-calcium phosphate particles have great potential in bone tissue repair and regeneration applications due to their ability to display performance, structure, and properties similar to natural tissue. Biomimetically, the desirable nanocomposites for tissue repair and regeneration with unique bone architecture can be achieved through a three-dimensional (3D) printing technique. This technique has shown several advantages over the traditional methods by producing scaffolds with the interconnected porous structure of nano to microarchitecture. Nanocomposite matrices and reinforcements can easily be derived from marine organisms and skeletons, which are abundantly available with excellent biological properties. In addition, some of these marine organisms such as corals could be grown artificially in the laboratory under specific conditions of temperature and pressure. Research efforts are still needed for the development of marine-based nanocomposite scaffold mimicking the unique structure and morphology of natural bone for bone tissue repair and regeneration. Currently, there are no commercially available marine-derived nanocomposite scaffolds, though they have displayed excellent performance in preclinical studies.
Having a deep understanding of nanocomposite–cell tissue interaction and performances and properties–structures relations, the future for clinical use of these materials will be achieved. Combining clinically active agents with these scaffolds for the treatment and prevention of different tissue diseases should be considered in the research activities.
