Recent Evidence on Bioactive Glass Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activity: A Mini-Review

Abstract

Bone defects caused by trauma or pathological events are major clinical and socioeconomic burdens. Thus, the efforts of regenerative medicine have been focused on the development of non-biodegradable materials resembling bone features. Consequently, the use of bioactive glass as a promising alternative to inert graft materials has been proposed. Bioactive glass is a synthetic silica-based material with excellent mechanical properties able to bond to the host bone tissue. Indeed, when immersed in physiological fluids, bioactive glass reacts, developing an apatite layer on the granule’s surface, playing a key role in the osteogenesis process. Moreover, the contact of bioactive glass with biological fluids results in the increase of osmotic pressure and pH due to the leaching of ions from granules’ surface, thus making the surrounding environment hostile to microbial growth. The bioactive glass antimicrobial activity is effective against a wide selection of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, either in planktonic or sessile forms. Furthermore, bioglass is able to reduce pathogens’ biofilm production. For the aforementioned reasons, the use of bioactive glass might be a promising solution for the reconstruction of bone defects, as well as for the treatment and eradication of bone infections, characterized by bone necrosis and destruction of the bone structure.

Prospects of antibacterial bioactive glass nanofibers for wound healing: An in vitro study

“…Characteristic vibration bands of samples (A), (B), and (C) are shown in Figure 2. The bands observed at below 1000 cm −1 and at 472 cm −1 correspond to asymmetric and symmetric stretching vibration of Si-O-Ca and Si-O-Si bonds, respectively, 27 whereas the band at 1080 cm −1 is attributed to the symmetric stretching vibration of the same bonds, 27,28 as above. The stretching vibration of O-H group is shown at 3437 cm −1 .…”

Synthesis and characterization of osteoinductive visible light‐activated adhesive composites with antimicrobial properties

“…Among these, BG‐58S is one of the most commonly used formulations for bone TE owing to its remarkable biocompatibility and bioactivity (Gong et al, ; Ji et al, ). Furthermore, the incorporation of bivalent cations to the BG formulation has been shown to enhance the mineralization and vascularization of the scaffold, while also inhibiting the resorption of the newly formed bone (Drago et al, ). Among these, Sr ions have been shown to inhibit osteoclast activity, while also promoting the activity of osteoblasts for the formation of new bone (Hoppe & Boccaccini, ).…”

“…The calcification capacity of these inorganic materials enables the formation of an interfacial layer, which creates a firm bond with the host bone that enhances osseointegration at the implant site (Gkioni, Leeuwenburgh, Douglas, Mikos, & Jansen, ). Furthermore, BGs in physiological fluids originate local increases in osmotic pressure and pH due to leaching of ions from the surface, which in turn creates a hostile microenvironment that prevents the growth of a wide range of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria (Drago, Toscano, & Bottagisio, ). However, despite the remarkable properties of BGs, their implementation as scaffolding materials for bone TE is limited due to their intrinsic brittleness and low fracture toughness.…”

Developments in Antibiotic-Eluting Scaffolds for the Treatment of Osteomyelitis

“…In addition to antibiotic-loaded bone scaffolds, there are also other antimicrobial biomaterials including bioactive glass [82]. This is a biodegradable, osteoconductive, osteoinductive and osteogenic material that kills bacteria by leaching ionic dissolution products from its surface [83,84]. This changes the local osmotic pressure and pH such that it is hostile to microbial growth [84].…”