A Review of Bioactive Glass/Natural Polymer Composites: State of the Art.

Collagen, gelatin, silk fibroin, hyaluronic acid, chitosan, alginate, and cellulose are biocompatible and non-cytotoxic, being attractive natural polymers for medical devices for both soft and hard tissues. However, such natural polymers have low bioactivity and poor mechanical properties, which limit their applications. To tackle these drawbacks, collagen, gelatin, silk fibroin, hyaluronic acid, chitosan, alginate, and cellulose can be combined with bioactive glass (BG) nanoparticles and microparticles to produce composites. The incorporation of BGs improves the mechanical properties of the final system as well as its bioactivity and regenerative potential. Indeed, several studies have demonstrated that polymer/BG composites may improve angiogenesis, neo-vascularization, cells adhesion, and proliferation. This review presents the state of the art and future perspectives of collagen, gelatin, silk fibroin, hyaluronic acid, chitosan, alginate, and cellulose matrices combined with BG particles to develop composites such as scaffolds, injectable fillers, membranes, hydrogels, and coatings. Emphasis is devoted to the biological potentialities of these hybrid systems, which look rather promising toward a wide spectrum of applications.

Chitosan-Based Bioactive Glass Gauze: Microstructural Properties, In Vitro Bioactivity, and Biological Tests.

Passive commercial gauzes were turned into interactive wound dressings by impregnating them with a chitosan suspension. To further improve healing, and cell adhesion and proliferation, chitosan/bioactive glass wound dressings were produced with the addition of (i) 45S5, (ii) a Sr- and Mg-containing bioactive glass, and (iii) a Zn-containing bioactive glass to the chitosan suspension. SEM and FTIR analyses evidenced positive results in terms of incorporation of bioactive glass particles. Bioactivity was investigated by soaking chitosan-based bioactive glass wound dressings in simulated body fluid (SBF). Cell viability, proliferation, and morphology were investigated using NIH 3T3 (mouse embryonic fibroblast) cells by neutral red (NR) uptake and MTT assays. Furthermore, the wound-healing rate was evaluated by means of the scratch test, using NIH 3T3. The results showed that bioactive glass particles enhance cell adhesion and proliferation, and wound healing compared to pure chitosan. Therefore, chitosan-based bioactive glass wound dressings combine the properties of the organic matrix with the specific biological characteristics of bioactive glasses to achieve chitosan composites suitable for healing devices.

A Novel Bioactive Glass Containing Therapeutic Ions with Enhanced Biocompatibility.

A novel bioactive glass containing therapeutic ions with enhanced biocompatibility was designed and produced by the classical melt-quenching route. Starting from a very promising composition (Bio_MS), which combined bioactivity and high crystallization temperature, the ratio between some oxides was tailored to obtain a new and more reactive (in terms of dissolution rate) bioactive glass, called BGMSN (composition in mol%: 6.1 Na2O, 31.3 CaO, 5 MgO, 10 SrO, 2.6 P2O5, 45 SiO2). The aim of this work was to produce a bioactive glass with a good biological performance, preserving, at the same time, the high crystallization temperature achieved for Bio_MS; this is strategic in order to avoid undesired crystalline phases during thermal treatments, which can undermine the bioactivity and even the stability of final products. A complete characterization of the novel bioactive glass was performed in terms of thermal, mechanical and biological properties and in vitro bioactivity. The thermal behavior of the bioactive glass was studied by heating microscopy, differential thermal analysis (DTA) and optical dilatometry; BGMSN showed a very high crystallization temperature and a high sinterability parameter, thus being suitable for applications where thermal treatments are required, such as sintered samples, coatings and scaffolds. Mechanical properties were investigated by the micro-indentation technique. The in vitro biological properties were evaluated by means of both direct and indirect cell tests, i.e., neutral red (NR) uptake and MTT assay, using murine long bone osteocyte Y4 (MLO-Y4) cells: the cellular viability of BGMSN was higher compared to cellular viability of 45S5, both in direct and indirect tests. Finally, the in vitro bioactivity test by soaking samples in simulated body fluid (SBF) showed high dissolution rate, with a good rate of formation of hydroxyapatite.

Comparison of Three Manufacturing Techniques for Sustainable Porous Clay Ceramics.

This study proposes different manufacturing techniques (manual pelletization, powder pressing, and "shell scaffold") to obtain lightweight clay ceramics containing recovery raw materials. The sintering in an electrical furnace (1000 °C, 1 h processing time) was conducted by traditional firing from room temperature, for pressed and shell-scaffold samples, while the flash heating (i.e., samples directly put at 1000 °C) was used only for the pellets. The porous materials (porosity 40-80%), functionalized with nutrients (K and P) in amounts to confer the fertilizer capability, gave suitable results in terms of pH (6.7-8.15) and electrical conductivity (0.29-1.33 mS/cm). Thus, such materials can be considered as feasible lightweight clay ceramics, with a positive effect on the soil. These findings permit us to hypothesize a potential use in green roofs or in agronomic applications.

A New Generation of Electrospun Fibers Containing Bioactive Glass Particles for Wound Healing.

Chitosan fibers blended with polyethylene oxide (CHIT_PEO) and crosslinked with genipin were fabricated by electrospinning technique. Subsequently, CHIT_PEO bioactive glass composite electrospun mats were fabricated with the aim to achieve flexible structures with adequate mechanical properties and improved biological performance respect to CHIT_PEO fibers, for potential applications in wound healing. Three different compositions of bioactive glasses (BG) were selected and investigated: 45S5 BG, a Sr and Mg containing bioactive glass (BGMS10) and a Zn-containing bioactive glass (BGMS_2Zn). Particulate BGs (particles size < 20 µm) were separately added to the starting CHIT_PEO solution before electrospinning. The two recently developed bioactive glasses (BGMS10 and BGMS_2Zn) showed very promising biological properties in terms of bioactivity and cellular viability; thus, such compositions were added for the first time to CHIT_PEO solution to fabricate composite electrospun mats. The incorporation of bioactive glass particles and their distribution into CHIT_PEO fibers were assessed by SEM and FTIR analyses. Furthermore, CHIT_PEO composite electrospun mats showed improved mechanical properties in terms of Young's Modulus compared to neat CHIT_PEO fibers; on the contrary, the values of tensile strain at break (%) were comparable. Biological performance in terms of cellular viability was investigated by means of WST-8 assay and CHIT_PEO composite electrospun mats showed cytocompatibility and the desired cellular viability.

Effects of a Novel Bioactive Glass Composition on Biological Properties of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells.

Functional reconstruction of bone defects represents a clinical challenge in the regenerative medicine field, which targets tissue repair following traumatic injuries and disease-related bone deficiencies. In this regard, the optimal biomaterial should be safe, biocompatible and tailored in order to promote the activation of host progenitor cells towards bone repair. Bioactive glasses might be suitable biomaterials due to their composition being able to induce the host healing response and, eventually, anti-bacterial properties. In this study we investigated whether and how an innovative bioactive glass composition, called BGMS10, may affect cell adhesion, morphology, proliferation, immunomodulation and osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). When cultured on BGMS10, hDPSCs maintained their proliferation rate and typical fibroblast-like morphology, showing the expression of stemness markers STRO-1 and c-Kit. Moreover, the expression of FasL, a key molecule in mediating immunomodulation effects of hDPSCs, was maintained. BGMS10 also proved to trigger osteogenic commitment of hDPSCs, as confirmed by the activation of bone-related transcription factors RUNX2 and Osx and the ongoing deposition of extracellular matrix supported by the expression of OPN and OCN. Our findings suggest that BGMS10 not only maintains the typical biological and immunomodulatory properties of hDPSCs but also favors the osteogenic commitment.

Zinc containing bioactive glasses with ultra-high crystallization temperature, good biological performance and antibacterial effects.

Novel bioactive glasses with different amount of zinc oxide (ZnO), namely 2, 3.8 and 5 mol%, were designed, produced by a melt-quenching route and investigated in terms of biological performance. Proper amounts of ZnO were added to a previously developed bioactive glass containing strontium and magnesium, characterized by an ultra-high crystallization temperature. Thus, the aim of the work was to obtain a bioactive glass with high crystallization temperature in view of an eventual thermal treatment, as well as antibacterial properties (due to the antimicrobial effect of zinc, as reported in the literature). Bioactivity was investigated by immersion in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF), which is a commonly used protocol to evaluate samples' bioactivity in vitro. Additionally, in order to exclude the possible cytotoxicity of Zn containing bioactive glasses, a biological investigation using MLO-Y4 cells was carried out, both by direct (NR uptake) and indirect (MTT) contact tests. Finally, the antibacterial effects of the produced bioactive glasses against Staphylococcus epidermidis (Gram-positive), Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli (both Gram-negative) were investigated.