Esin Tunçel

Master student

Iron-doped mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles incorporated into hydrogels for injectable biomaterials for bone tissue engineering

 

Supervisors: Luiza Mirt, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

In recent years, mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (MBGNs) have attracted attention due to their enhanced bioactivity, high surface area and ability to serve as drug delivery systems. Their mesoporous structure enables efficient drug loading and controlled release [1].

Moreover, tuning the pore morphology – such as creating radial, ordered or dendritic structures – can further increase the loading capacity and regulate the release profile [2]. The performance of MBGNs can be improved by incorporating therapeutic ions, such as iron (Fe), which promotes osteogenic differentiation and vascularization, both essential for effective bone regeneration [3]. Additionally, these designed nanoparticles display antibacterial properties, reducing the risk of infections at implant sites, a crucial factor in orthopedic applications [4].

When MBGNs are embedded into a hydrogel, a highly biocompatible and adaptable material for tissue engineering can be obtained, which exhibits the release of therapeutic ions and bioactive silica [5]. In this study, iron-doped MBGNs mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (Fe-MBGNs) are synthesized and incorporated into an alginate based hydrogel to develop an injectable biomaterial for bone tissue engineering.

[1] M. Vallet-Regí, M. Colilla, I. Izquierdo-Barba, C. Vitale-Brovarone, and S. Fiorilli, “Achievements in Mesoporous Bioactive Glasses for Biomedical Applications,” Pharmaceutics, vol. 14, no. 12, p. 2636, Nov. 2022, doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14122636.

[2] D. Arcos and M. T. Portolés, “Mesoporous Bioactive Nanoparticles for Bone Tissue Applications,” Int. J. Mol. Sci., vol. 24, no. 4, Feb. 2023, doi: 10.3390/ijms24043249.

[3] Nitu, R. Fopase, L. M. Pandey, P. Seal, J. P. Borah, and A. Srinivasan, “Assessment of sol–gel derived iron oxide substituted 45S5 bioglass-ceramics for biomedical applications,” J. Mater. Chem. B, vol. 11, no. 31, pp. 7502–7513, 2023, doi: 10.1039/D3TB00287J.

[4] N. Gupta et al., “Effects of transition metal ion dopants (Ag, Cu and Fe) on the structural, mechanical and antibacterial properties of bioactive glass,” Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, vol. 538, pp. 393-403, 2018.

[5] F. Bider et al., “Enhancing alginate dialdehyde-gelatin (ADA-GEL) based hydrogels for biofabrication by addition of phototherapeutics and mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (MBGNs),” J. Biomater. Appl., vol. 39, no. 6, pp. 524–556, Jan. 2025, doi: 10.1177/08853282241280768.