Ceramic

Ceramic refers to a class of inorganic, non-metallic materials known as bioceramics or bioactive ceramics, particularly calcium phosphate (Ca-P) variants like hydroxyapatite (HA), tricalcium phosphate (TCP), and biphase calcium phosphate (BCP), which mimic the mineral composition of bone. These materials exhibit excellent biocompatibility, bioactivity, osteoconductivity, and in some cases osteoinductivity due to their ability to adsorb proteins from body fluids, facilitating cellular attachment, proliferation, migration, and bone tissue regeneration. Protein adsorption on their surfaces, driven by factors such as porosity, surface area, charge distribution (Ca2+ and PO4 3- sites), and solubility, plays a critical role in their biological performance, with higher porosity and specific surface area enhancing adsorption of growth factors like BMPs. They are widely used in orthopedic and bone repair applications as implants, fillers, or coatings, though limited by mechanical weakness to non-load-bearing sites. No small-molecule drugs directly target ceramics as therapeutic receptors or enzymes; instead, they serve as biomaterials in tissue engineering.

Other names

Bioceramicbioactive ceramiccalcium phosphate ceramicCa-P ceramic