• Copper-containing calcium sulfate bone cement (Cu-CS) was successfully prepared with varying copper content (0.1%-2.5%).
• Cu-CS cements exhibited improved compressive strength compared to pure calcium sulfate, with 2.5%Cu-CS showing the highest strength.
• Cu-CS cements released copper ions in a sustained manner, with release concentration proportional to copper content.
• In a rat tibial defect model, 0.5%Cu-CS significantly enhanced angiogenesis compared to control and blank groups, as evidenced by Micro-CT and CD31 staining.