The modulation function of proteins was studied during biomineralization in vitro. Morphological development of calcium carbonate precipitation in collagen solutions at different concentrations has been examined using scanning electron microscope. X-ray diffraction is used to determine the polymorph of calcium carbonate crystals. Its data indicate that only calcite crystals are formed. The experimental results also show that the calcite growth is more and more inhibited as collagen is increasing in concentration. A simple crystal model is employed to explain these phenomena. Different crystal planes with different affinities to collagen play a crucial role in changing the morphology of calcite crystals.

The effects of phosphorylated chitin (P-chitin) on the tissue responses to two kinds of calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) were investigated using experimental rabbits. One of them consisting of monocalcium phosphate monohydrate, calcium oxide, 1 m phosphate buffer (pH: 7.4) and different amounts of P-chitin (CPC-I or P-CPC-I) with relatively neutral initial pH was filled as paste into tibial defects of the rabbits for 1, 4, 12 and 22 weeks. The other kind of cement made from dicacium phosphate dihydrate/calcium hydroxide/1m Na2HPO4/different amounts of P-chitin (CPC-II or P-CPC-II) with relatively higher initial pH was implanted as prehardened cylinders into the radial defects of the rabbits for the same periods. Pure CPC-I and CPC-II were used as controls. Histological and histomorphological studies were performed on thin un-decalcified and decalcified sections. Three different bone formation types in the resorption lacuna of the P-CPCs were found during this study. The biodegradation rate of the P-CPCs had a negative relationship with the P-chitin content. Most of the low P-chitin-containing samples were bioabsorbed in 16 weeks, while the high P-chitin-containing samples disappeared in 22 weeks. The newly formed bone was identified with back scattered scanning electron microscopy and X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometry. The results show that with P-chitin component in a certain range, the P-CPCs are biocompatible, bioabsorbable and osteoinductive and could be used as promising candidates of bone repair materials.

The function of biomacromolecules during biomineralization was studied by simulating the nucleation and growth of calcium carbonates in vitro. The synthetic crystals nucleated and grew on different organic (EDTA-insoluble proteins) and inorganic (silicon) matrices with EDTA-soluble proteins extracted from mollusk shells. The polymorph and morphology of the crystals were investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) with selected area electron diffraction (SAED). It is found that different proteins have specialties to induce different crystals with special morphologies. The soluble proteins extracted from nacre can induce aragonite and the one from prism can induce calcite grown with a preferred orientation of[104]. The crystals induced by the same soluble proteins have the same polymorph and morphology. The insoluble proteins insoluence the density of nucleation sites as well as the sizes and quantities of the crystals.

The present paper demonstrated a biomimetic method to coat calcium phosphate (Ca-P) on the surface of titanium induced by NaOH-treatment from a simple supersaturated hydroxyapatite solution (SHS). The in#uence of pH value and calcium ions concentration on the precipitation process was investigated. It is necessary for the solution to be supersaturated than the critical concentration of octacalcium phosphate (OCP) to get Ca-P coatings on titanium surface. In the precipitating process, it seems that amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) precipitated first, then OCP, and finally hydroxyapatite (HA). The system was in continuous evolution and the phase transitions occurred in sequence.

pitation from the 4 mM solution within the vesicles was amorphous calcium phosphate (ACp) and it remained stable at room temperature. The ACp was transformed into HAp crystals after treatment in hot water bath (60℃) for 24 h. As for the 0.03 mMsolution, which is nearly the critical saturation concentration of HAp, the precipitated crystals were small HAp. The role of the vesicle membrane in the controlled precipitation of calcium phosphate is discussed in terms of kinetic and spatial restrictions inherent in the reaction environment. The influence of concentration of calcium ion is also discussed.