Calcium phosphate-based nanocomposites as drug delivery systems for bone tissue engineering

Calcium phosphate (CaP)-based nanocomposites have emerged as a transformative approach in bone tissue engineering, addressing critical challenges in bone repair and regeneration. The chemical similarity of CaPs such as hydroxyapatite (HAP) to bone mineral, their osteoconductivity and flexible processing support multifunctional strategies for bone repair and local therapy. This review explores the role of nanocomposites incorporating CAPs as either matrix or nanoparticle constituent as drug delivery systems, focusing initially on their chemical properties, processing methods, and applications explicitly mapping synthesis to structure to drug delivery performance. The paper highlights recent, under-explored capabilities, from self-healing scaffolds, to high resolution additive manufacturing and hierarchical scaffolds, targeted delivery strategies including bisphosphonate functionalization, and hybrid carriers such as MOF–CaP). The paper provides a dedicated discussion of translational barriers (manufacturing scale-up, sterilization, standardized reporting of release kinetics, long-term biocompatibility). Further by mapping synthesis parameters to the materials properties that determine delivery performance (porosity, crystallinity, surface charge) and by discussing regulatory, patents, and manufacturing considerations oversight is provided beyond that covered in previous reviews on the subject.

Morteza Khodaei, Ali Bakhshi, Jenny H Shepherd. Calcium phosphate-based nanocomposites as drug delivery systems for bone tissue engineering (2026), e115299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2026.115299

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