Substituted hydroxyapatites for biomedical applications: A review

This review summarizes recent and very recent work on preparing substituted hydroxyapatites. Ease of atomic doping or substitution in apatite opens this mineral up for a wide range of biomedical applications. It can be used for repairing and replacing diseased and damaged parts of musculoskeletal systems, and also as a drug or gene delivery agent, as a bioactive coating on metallic osseous implants, biomagnetic particles and fluorescent markers. First, the physicochemical properties of bioapatites are described and discussed. Then a general summary on substitution reaction for hydroxyapatite is made. Special attention is paid to describing anionic, cationic and multisubstituted hydroxyapatites used for various biomedical applications. Finally, conclusions are drawn and future perspectives are discussed.