Biomaterials-Potential nucleation agents in blood and possible implications.

Blood, simulated body fluids, and many cell culture media are supersaturated solutions with respect to several calcium phosphates. Therefore biomaterials can act as nucleation agents and evoke heterogeneous nucleation of salts on the surface of immersed biomaterials. Depending on the field of application, this can be either beneficial or disadvantageous. Although nucleation from supersaturated solutions is an old and well-known scientific phenomenon it is not standard to test new developed materials with surface analytical methods for their ability to initiate nucleation in vitro. Therefore, this communication aims to review the mineralization effect and to emphasize the possible negative implications, especially to functionalized bone implants. Surface coatings with proteins, growth factors, and, etc., can become ineffective due to deposition of a dense calcium phosphate layer. In the case of drug loaded implants, drug release might be inhibited.