Julius Weidinger

Bachelor Student

Antibacterial coatings for bioactive glass-based scaffolds incorporating phytotherapeutic agents

Supervisors: Marcela Arango Ospina, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

 

Bioactive glasses have shown to be promising biomaterials for bone tissue engineering [1]. In contact with physiological fluids a hydroxyapatite layer is formed on their surface, which leads to strong bond with bone and soft tissue. Furthermore, the release of Si, Na, P, and Ca ions promotes rapid bone formation [1]. This project focuses on the development of an antibacterial coating for bioactive glass scaffolds, consisting of chitosan and phytotherapeutic agents. The scaffolds are produced by the foam replication technique [2] and then coated with the chitosan based solution. After production of the coated scaffolds, various properties will be investigated, mainly the degradation of the system and the mechanical properties, as well as the bioactive behavior after immersion in simulated body fluid.

[1] Gerhardt LC, Boccaccini AR, Bioactive Glass and Glass-Ceramic Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering, Materials 2010; 3:3867-3910.

[2] Chen QZ, Thompson ID, Boccaccini AR, 45S5 Bioglass®-derived glass-ceramic scaffolds for bone tissue engineering, Biomaterials 2006; 27:2414–25.