Phosphate glass fibres with therapeutic ions release capability – a review

Abstract

Phosphate-based glasses (PBG) have low melting temperatures and can be obtained by meltquenching and sol-gel methods. The most significant characteristic of PBG is their ability to dissolve completely in aqueous solution within different timeframes. This solubility can reduce the need for revision surgeries and makes PBG well-suited for soft tissue regeneration. Phosphate glass fibres (PGF) due to their geometry and volume-surface area ratio are the subject of a growing number of studies on resorbable composites. Medical applications include bone fixation devices, nerve tissue scaffolds and wound healing. PBG can be doped with various ions to enhance their biological, chemical and structural properties allowing the preparation of fibres with designed properties and with the ability to release biologically active ions upon degradation. The aim of this review is to look in detail at the influence of different dopants on PGF behaviour, both at a structural and biological level.

Ga and Ce ion-doped phosphate glass fibres with antibacterial properties and their composite for wound healing applications

“…Gallium oxide is an intermediate oxide that can play a role both as glass former and as a glass modifier oxide. 49 As such, Ga can increase connectivity in the glass network of phosphate glasses, 50 creating relatively strong covalent Ga-O-P bonds if it enters the glass-forming phosphate chain network. However, as an intermediate oxide it could also behave as a cross-linker between two phosphate chains.…”

“…51 Aluminium oxide, similar to gallium oxide 52 is also an intermediate oxide and its addition to PGFs can significantly enhance the chemical durability and mechanical properties of the fibres. 49 Cerium is a glass modifier oxide, crosslinking the glass network. 53 However, cerium can exist in two oxidation states Ce 3+ and Ce 4+ , and the relative Ce 3+ /Ce 4+ ratio in our glass is unknown.…”

“…Gallium oxide, behaving similarly to Al 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 or B 2 O 3 , can enter the phosphate chain backbone leading to the strengthening of the glass network and lowering of the degradation rate. 40,49,57 Fe 2 O 3 can form a tetrahedral or octahedral coordination, acting as glass former as well as glass modifier, 57 and structural similarities between gallium and iron are stated in the literature. 26 Moreover, NMR analysis showed that Ga 3+ is octahedrally coordinated by oxygen atoms, which increased durability of the glass.…”

Tailoring Pyro- and Orthophosphate Species to Enhance Stem Cell Adhesion to Phosphate Glasses

“…These properties allow for material functionalization to promote cell adhesion, support cell differentiation, exert anti-microbial effects, and assist drug delivery, among other applications [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Phosphate based glasses (PBGs) are biomaterials of particular interest due to their complete yet controllable resorption profiles which can be modified by simply altering the materials composition [ 6 , 7 ]. Glass is typically composed of network formers such as silicon or phosphate linked together through bridging oxygen atoms [ 8 ].…”

Effect of Different Phosphate Glass Compositions on the Process-Induced Macromolecular Dynamics of Polyamide 66

“…Inorganic phosphate-based glass (P-glass) systems have gained increasing interest in the last decade because of their wide variety of applications and tunable properties [1]. As a consequence, P-glass materials display a wide range of unique features such as chemical durability and stability, good electrical conductivity, excellent optical properties [2], biocompatibility, efficient drug delivery [3,4], and flame-retardancy [5]. The ability to control the chemical composition of P-glasses to suit the target application requirements makes them desirable additives for organic/inorganic hybrid materials.…”