Chitosan membrane as a template for hydroxyapatite crystal growth in a model dual membrane diffusion system

Being a biocompatible, biodegradable and bioactive material, chitosan in the form of membranes offers a great potential as a substrate in mineralization processes in vitro. In the present work, the crystal growth of calcium phosphate phases on gel chitosan membranes was studied in the dual membrane diffusion system. In the system cation- and anion-selective membranes are used to control Ca2+ and PO43- ionic diffusion to generate supersaturation reaction conditions. We show for the first time that the system can be successfully used for oriented crystal growth and for qualitative control of calcium phosphate phases on chitosan matrices in a biomimetic mode. The mineralized chitosan can be potentially applied in bone tissue repair and regeneration. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.