Synthesis of Silanized Bioactive Glass/Gelatin Methacrylate (GelMA/Si-BG) composite hydrogel for Bone Tissue Engineering Application

Bioactive glass (BG) has been widely employed in the field of bone tissue engineering owing to its osteoconductive properties. These properties increase the stiffness and bioactivity of polymeric hydrogels, making them ideal for the repair, replacement, and regeneration of damaged bones. In this study, we investigated the effects of incorporating silanized 45S5 bioactive glass (Si-BG) into gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogel (GelMA/Si-BG) for potential bone tissue engineering. Our findings revealed that crosslinking GelMA with Si-BG had a striking increase in bioactivity with and without osteogenic induction of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) when compared to GelMA/BG hydrogels. Meanwhile, both GelMA/Si-BG and GelMA/BG hydrogels were able to maintain the cell viability of hMSC for up to 14 days. Additionally, GelMA/Si-BG hydrogels were shown to have a significantly higher compressive modulus than GelMA/BG hydrogels. This study has demonstrated the introduction of silanized 45S5 BG into GelMA hydrogel bioactivity and mechanical properties of GelMA hydrogels, exemplifying the potential application of silanization of BG in bone tissue engineering.