Which biomaterial property is essential for bone tissue engineering?

In the context of bone tissue engineering, mechanical strength is critical because bone is a highly loaded and dynamic tissue that must withstand various forces during normal physiological activities such as walking, running, and jumping. When developing biomaterials for bone applications, it is imperative that these materials possess adequate mechanical properties that match or exceed those of natural bone.

Biomaterials used in bone tissue engineering must provide sufficient mechanical support to maintain structural integrity until the natural bone is regenerated. If the material is too weak, it may fracture or collapse under physiological loads, hindering the healing process and leading to failure of the tissue engineering construct.

While other properties like bioactivity, hydrophilicity, and degradability are also important in different contexts, they do not directly address the immediate mechanical demands that the engineered tissue must support. Bioactivity is significant for promoting cellular interactions and mineralization, hydrophilicity for facilitating cell adhesion, and degradability for allowing natural bone to replace the scaffold over time. However, without adequate mechanical strength, these properties alone cannot create a functioning tissue substitute for bone.