Type I collagen and nanocrystalline-substituted hydroxyapatite are the major components of a natural composite—bone tissue. Both of these materials also play a significant role in orthopedic surgery and implantology; however, their separate uses are limited; apatite is quite fragile, while collagen’s mechanical strength is very poor. Therefore, in biomaterial engineering, a combination of collagen and hydroxyapatite is used, which provides good mechanical properties with high biocompatibility and osteoinduction. In addition, the porous structure of the composites enables their use not only as bone defect fillers, but also as a drug release system providing controlled release of drugs directly to the bone. This feature makes biomimetic collagen–apatite composites a subject of research in many scientific centers. The review focuses on summarizing studies on biological activity, tested in vitro and in vivo.

Kinetics of NMR cross-polarization (CP) from protons to phosphorus-31 nuclei was studied in the following samples: mineral of whole human bone, apatite prepared from bone, natural brushite, synthetic hydroxyapatite (hydrated and calcined), and synthetic carbonatoapatite of type B with 9 wt% of CO(3) (2-). In order to avoid an effect of magic angle spinning on CP and relaxation, the experiments were carried out on static samples. Parameters of the CP kinetics were discussed for trabecular and cortical bone tissue from adult subjects in comparison to the synthetic mineral standards. It was found that carbonatoapatite shows similar CP behavior to the bone mineral. Both materials undergo two-component CP kinetics. The fast-relaxing classical component is from the surface of apatite crystals and the slow-relaxing nonclassical component comes from the crystal interior. The components have been unambiguously assigned using inverse CP from phosphorus-31 to protons. The study provides information on a structured water layer, which covers crystal surface of carbonato- and bone apatite. The layer encompasses ca 40% of apatite phosphorus and its thickness is more than ca 2 nm.

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