| abstract |
The invention relates to growth-inhibited hydroxyapatite for improving bone healing. It differs from the apatites employed to date in that it releases calcium ions and phosphate ions in physiological solutions, which, unlike traditional hydroxyapatites, it does not bind. It thereby promotes bone regeneration and bone growth. The growth-inhibited hydroxyapatite contains in agglomerates of prestructured collagen templates on which hydroxyapatite crystals with a crystallite growth of below its critical nucleus radius are formed epitactically. It is prepared by the steps a) mineralization of prestructured collagen templates in supersaturated Ca- and phosphate-ion-containing solutions, where the prestructured collagen templates are capable of diffusion and/or migration, so that HAP crystallites grow epitactically on the collagen templates and the collagen templates grown together with HAP crystallites agglomerate due to their capability of diffusion and/or migration, b) separating off the agglomerates. |