Exploring the potential of silica mixed zinc phosphate bioactive glasses for bone regeneration: In vitro bioactivity and antibacterial activity analysis

Biomaterials development is currently the main active research area in the field of bone tissue engineering. In the present study, the bioactive glasses with different chemical compositions (mol %) of zinc oxide, silica, calcium oxide, sodium oxide, and phosphates were synthesized by the melt-quench technique. We studied the thermal, physical, and other structural characteristics of the glasses to know the structural stability and potentiality to use as implant material. The in-vitro studies were performed to test the apatite forming ability and biocompatible nature of the prepared bioglass samples by immersing in simulated body fluid (SBF) solution with ion concentrations nearly equal to those in human blood plasma (pH =7.4 at 37 °C). All glass samples showed the formation of a clear layer of hydroxyapatite (HAP) on their surfaces after 14, and 21 days of immersion in SBF and the crystallization phases, morphology and functional groups of the hydroxyapatite layer (HAP) were confirmed by the characterizations of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses respectively. The antimicrobial studies of the silica containing phosphate bioglasses against Escherichia coli (E. coli), carried out for 24 h confirmed their potential antibacterial activity. The overall obtained results of the as developed silica containing phosphate bioglasses with enhanced properties suggested to use as potential bone regenerative implant material in the field of biomedicine.