Silicate Bioceramics for Bone Tissue Regeneration

Silicate bioceramics have received significant attention in the past several years. The main reason is that silicate bioceramics can efficiently stimulate the proliferation, differentiation and gene expression of tissue cells as well as the regeneration of bone tissue by release of Si-containing ionic products. Due to this significant advantage, silicate bioceramics, as a novel bioceramic system, have great potential to be widely used for repairing and regenerating bone tissues. In this paper, our researches in the past ten years are combined and the research advancements of silicate bioceramics are reviewed. The advantages and disadvantages of silicate bioceramics are summarized by comparing with conventional calcium phosphate bioceramics. Finally, a forward-looking perspective for silicate bioceramics on the applications of bone regeneration is also discussed.