Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 April 2012
With multifunctionality and nanoscale dimensions, self-assembled rosette nanotubes (RNTs) exhibit unique biological and mechanical properties, making them promising to serve as a new generation of implants. Synthetic twin G^C base features the hydrogen bonding arrays of both guanine and cytosine and has the ability to self-organize spontaneously into nanotubes with a 3.5 nm outer diameter, a 1.1 nm inner channel running the length of the nanotube which can reach several micrometers in length. In this study, a twin G^C motif functionalized with an aminobutyl side chain (referred to as TBL) was synthesized, assembled into bioactive RNTs and used along with poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) and hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles to prepare RNTs/HA/pHEMA composites for orthopedic applications. The properties of these composites was investigated, notably the solidification process, surface morphology, mechanical properties, and cytocompatibility properties. The RNTs assembled from TBL and HA nanoparticles were found to be effective towards increasing the bioactivity of the composites thus establishing the potential of TBL/HA/pHEMA composites as very promising injectable orthopedic implant materials.