Composites Composed of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Polymers, and Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, and Study of Their Biocompatible Properties

The creation of artificial biocomposites consisting of biocompatible materials in combination with bioactive molecules is one of the main tasks of tissue engineering. The development of new materials, which are biocompatible, functional, and also biodegradable in vivo, is a specific problem. Two types of products can be formed from these materials in the processes of biodegradation. The first types of substances are natural for a living organism and are included in the metabolism of cells, for example, sugars, lactic, glycolic, and β-hydroxybutyric acids. Substances that are not metabolized by cells represent the other type. In the latter case, such products should not be toxic, and their concentration when entering the bloodstream should not exceed the established maximum permissible level. The composite materials based on a mixture of biodegradable synthetic and natural polymers with the addition of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles, which acts as a stabilizer of the dispersed system during production of the composite, and which is a biologically active component of the resulting matrix, were obtained and studied. The indirect effect of the shape, size, and surface charge of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles on the structure and porosity of the formed matrix was shown. An in vivo study showed the absence of acute toxicity of the developed composites.