Organicinorganic hybrids with apatite-forming abilities in physiological environments offer possibilities for building flexible bone-bonding bioactive materials; several functional groups are known to induce apatite nucleation. Here, bioactive organic inorganic hybrids from ¬-carrageenan and -carrageenan containing sulfonic groups were prepared. Carrageenan hydrogels were made by cross-linking with CaCl 2 . The apatite-forming abilities of each kind of carrageenan hydrogel were examined using simulated body fluid (SBF); -carrageenan was found to be superior to ¬-carrageenan for this purpose. The former swelled significantly in aqueous conditions, releasing a large amount of Ca 2+ ions into the SBF, contributing to rapid apatite formation.
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