Synthesis and characterization of biomimetic citrate-based biodegradable composites

Abstract: Natural bone apatite crystals, which mediate the development and regulate the load-bearing function of bone, have recently been associated with strongly bound citrate molecules. However, such understanding has not been trans-lated into bone biomaterial design and osteoblast cell culture. In this work, we have developed a new class of biodegrad-able, mechanically strong, and biocompatible citrate-based polymer blends (CBPBs), which offer enhanced hydroxyapa-tite binding to produce more biomimetic composites (CBPBHAs) for orthopedic applications. CBPBHAs consist of the newly developed osteoconductive citrate-presenting bio-degradable polymers, crosslinked urethane-doped polyester and poly (octanediol citrate), which can be composited with up to 65 wt % hydroxyapatite. CBPBHA networks produced materials with a compressive strength of 116.236 5.37 MP