Stefan Endlein

Master student

Influence of the incorporation of metallic ions and phytotherapeutic agents in bioactive glass-scaffolds

 

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

In recent years, 3-dimensional structures made of bioactive glasses, referred to as scaffolds, have been extensively discussed for bone tissue engineering applications. The ions released through dissolution of theses glasses, commonly silica, calcium, and phosphorus, are fundamental for their bioactive behavior. Likewise, several metallic ions can be incorporated to be released as therapeutic ions, improving osteogenesis and angiogenesis, as well as enhancing antibacterial properties of the scaffolds [1]. Similarly, plant-derived phytotherapeuthic agents are known to exhibit antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, making them interesting materials to be incorporated into bioactive glass-scaffolds to add these functionalities [2]. This thesis aims to fabricate scaffolds from borosilicate bioactive glass using the foam replica technique [3]. The effects of the incorporation of copper into the glass will be analyzed, as well as the possible synergy of Cu-ions and added phytotherapeutic agents regarding antibacterial properties. Structure and composition of the samples will be characterized using the techniques FTIR, XRD and UV-Vis.

[1] Hoppe, Alexander; Güldal, Nusret S.; Boccaccini, Aldo R. (2011): A review of the biological response to ionic dissolution products from bioactive glasses and glass-ceramics. In: Biomaterials 32 (11), S. 2757–2774. DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2011.01.004.

[2] Schuhladen, Katharina; Roether, Judith A.; Boccaccini, Aldo R. (2019): Bioactive glasses meet phytotherapeutics: The potential of natural herbal medicines to extend the functionality of bioactive glasses. In: Biomaterials 217, S. 119288. DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2019.119288.

[3] Chen, Qizhi Z.; Thompson, Ian D.; Boccaccini, Aldo R. (2006): 45S5 Bioglass-derived glass-ceramic scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. In: Biomaterials 27 (11), S. 2414–2425. DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2005.11.025.