Bioactive Glass: Soft Tissue Reparative and Regenerative Applications

Abstract

Over the years, the bioactive glasses (BAGs) revolutioned the restoration and reconstruction of the mineralized hard tissues. Owing to its biocompatibility and osteoconductive properties, BAGs received several FDA approvals and have various marketed products for orthopedic and dental applications. Interestingly, the dissolution products of the BAGs in the body fluid have also demonstrated great promise in the repair and regeneration of the soft tissues. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have explored the potential of BAGs in the regeneration of tissues outside the skeleton system, which includes wound healing, regeneration of cardiac, lung, and peripheral nerve tissues, and restoration of the musculoskeletal system. Moreover, BAGs are used in soft tissue regeneration involving the gastrointestinal system and also in the field of ophthalmology, otology, and rhinology. BAGs owing to their inherent antibacterial property also finds application in the treatment of urinary tract infections. Despite the myriad of scientific evidence available for soft tissue engineering, a limited number of FDA-approved products are commercially available for soft tissue applications. Most studies are performed on the cell lines and under in vitro settings that fail to mimic the clinical symptoms, thus hinder the clinical translation of BAGs. This chapter emphasizes soft tissue reparative and regenerative applications of BAGs. A detailed prospect for further research to overcome the limitations that have restricted the preclinical to clinical translation is also reviewed.