45S5 Bioglass-Derived Glass-Ceramic Scaffolds Containing Niobium Obtained by Gelcasting Method

Abstract

Scaffolds of bioglass derived from BG45S5 (45 wt% SiO 2 , 24.5 wt% CaO, 24.5 wt% Na 2 O and 6 wt% P 2 O 5 ) containing 10 wt% niobium were prepared by gelcasting method. The scaffolds presented a 3D porous structure with interconnected and spherical pores (pore size range 100 μm to 500 μm) and high porosity (89%), similar to trabecular architecture of spongy bone. The compressive strength was 0.18 ± 0.03 MPa which is acceptable for bone repair applications. The in vitro biological studies showed cytocompatibility for human osteoblastic cells as well tendency for higher alkaline phosphatase activity. Therefore, the findings here suggest the great potential of the scaffolds for using in bone tissue engineering.

Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering Applications and Current Updates in the Field: A Comprehensive Review

“…The scaffolds showed a similar structure to trabecular spongy bone tissues, in vitro evaluation of the prepared scaffold on human osteoblasts MG-63 cells showed good cytocompatibility after 2 and 6 days of incubation and high ALP activity after 48 h of incubation with the cells. The results demonstrated the significant role of Nb in promoting cell proliferation and viability, introducing Nb as a therapeutic ion for bone tissue regeneration [173].…”