Abstract
Traditionally, bioactive glasses have been used to fill and restore bone defects. More recently, this category of biomaterials has become an emerging research field for bone tissue engineering applications. Here, we review and discuss current knowledge on porous bone tissue engineering scaffolds on the basis of melt-derived bioactive silicate glass compositions and relevant composite structures. Starting with an excerpt on the history of bioactive glasses, as well as on fundamental requirements for bone tissue engineering scaffolds, a detailed overview on recent developments of bioactive glass and glass-ceramic scaffolds will be given, including a summary of common fabrication methods and a discussion on the microstructural-mechanical properties of scaffolds in relation to human bone (structure-property and structure-function relationship). In addition, ion release effects of bioactive glasses concerning osteogenic and angiogenic responses are addressed. Finally, areas of future research are highlighted in this review.
Highlights
Tissue engineering (TE) and regenerative medicine aim to restore diseased or damaged tissue using combinations of functional cells and biodegradable scaffolds made from engineered biomaterials [1,2].Some of the most promising biomaterials for application in bone tissue engineering are bioceramicsMaterials 2010, 3 such as hydroxyapatite (HA), calcium phosphates, bioactive glasses and related composite materials combining bioactive inorganic materials with biodegradable polymers [3,4]
The release rate and therapeutic levels of ions, which are both determined by concentration and particle size of BG or by scaffold morphology and porosity, as well as the relative contribution of specific ion dissolution products from bioactive glasses or Si-substituted calcium phosphates [199] to osteogenesis and angiogenesis have been controversially debated in the literature [53,54]
One of the most significant challenges in bone tissue engineering remains the fabrication of scaffolds exhibiting mechanical, structural, surface-chemical, topographical and biological properties suitable to regenerate large cortical bone defects and capable of functioning under relevant loads
Summary
Tissue engineering (TE) and regenerative medicine aim to restore diseased or damaged tissue using combinations of functional cells and biodegradable scaffolds made from engineered biomaterials [1,2]. The basis of the bone bonding property of bioactive glasses is the chemical reactivity in physiological body fluids (in vitro and in vivo) resulting in the formation of a hydroxycarbonate apatite (HCA) layer to which bone can bond. This bonding to living bone tissue occurs upon a sequence of reactions on the material surface [9] followed by cellular reactions [5], both of which are explained in detail elsewhere [1,5,9,11,12]. In parallel to the chemical reactions on the material surface leading to bone bonding, recent studies have proven that ion dissolution and release from BG activate gene expression in osteo-genitor cells that give rise to enhanced bone regeneration (see §4.1)
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