We produced and characterized copper(II)-chitosan complexes fabricated via in-situ precipitation as antibiotic-free antibacterial biomaterials. Copper was bound to chitosan from a dilute acetic acid solution of chitosan and copper(II) chloride exploiting the ability of the polysaccharide to chelate metal ions. The influence of copper(II) ions on the morphology, structure and hydrophobicity of the complexes was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and static contact-angle measurements. To assess the biological response to the materials, cell viability and antibacterial assays were performed using mouse embryonic fibroblasts and both Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. Combined analysis of cell and bacterial studies identified a threshold concentration at which the material shows outstanding antibacterial properties without significantly affecting fibroblast viability. This key outcome sets copper(II)- chitosan as a promising biomaterial and encourages further investigation on similar systems toward the development of new antibiotic-free antibacterial technologies.

Porous composite scaffolds with decoupled ion release of copper and strontium were fabricated and characterized: a reproducible and cost-effective approach to obtain constructs with tailored release profiles and promising biological properties.

Since they were first developed in 2004, mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs) rapidly captured the interest of the scientific community thanks to their numerous beneficial properties. MBGs are synthesised by a combination of the sol–gel method with the chemistry of surfactants to obtain highly mesoporous (pore size from 5 to 20 nm) materials that, owing to their high surface area and ordered structure, are optimal candidates for controlled drug-delivery systems. In this work, we synthesised and characterised a silver-containing mesoporous bioactive glass (Ag-MBG). It was found that Ag-MBG is a suitable candidate for controlled drug delivery, showing a perfectly ordered mesoporous structure ideal for the loading of drugs together with optimal bioactivity, sustained release of silver from the matrix, and fast and strong bacterial inhibition against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Silver-doped mesoporous glass particles were used in three electrospinning-based techniques to produce PCL/Ag-MBG composite fibres, to coat bioactive glass scaffolds (via electrospraying), and for direct sol electrospinning. The results obtained in this study highlight the versatility and efficacy of Ag-substituted mesoporous bioactive glass and encourage further studies to characterize the biological response to Ag-MBG-based antibacterial controlled-delivery systems for tissue-engineering applications.