H. S. Tripathi

Preparation and characterization of Li2O–CaO–Al2O3–P2O5–SiO2 glasses as bioactive material

The aim of the present investigation was to study the role of Al2O3 in the Li2O–CaO–P2O5–SiO2 bioactive glass for improving the bioactivity and other physico-mechanical properties of glass. A comparative study on structural and physico-mechanical properties and bioactivity of glasses were reported. The structural properties of glasses were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy and the bioactivity of the glasses was evaluated by in vitro test in simulated body fluid (SBF). Density, compressive strength, Vickers hardness and ultrasonic wave velocity of glass samples were measured to investigate physical and mechanical properties. Results indicated that partial molar replacement of Li2O by Al2O3 resulted in a significant increase in mechanical properties of glasses. In vitro studies of samples in SBF had shown that the pH of the solution increased after immersion of samples during the initial stage and then after reaching maxima it decreased with the increase in the immersion time. In vitro test in SBF indicated that the addition of Al2O3 up to 1.5 mol% resulted in an increase in bioactivity where as further addition of Al2O3 caused a decrease in bioactivity of the samples. The biocompatibility of these bioactive glass samples was studied using human osteoblast (MG-63) cell lines. The results obtained suggested that Li2O–CaO–Al2O3–P2O5–SiO2-based bioactive glasses containing alumina would be potential materials for biomedical applications.

Structural, physico-mechanical and in-vitro bioactivity studies on SiO2–CaO–P2O5–SrO–Al2O3 bioactive glasses

Strontium based bioactive glasses have shown a better biocompatibility than calcia based bioactive glasses. In this report, we have shown that the bioactivity is found to be even more when we incorporate Al2O3 upto 1.5 mol% in SiO2-CaO-P2O5-SrO bioactive glass. We have studied the structural, physico-mechanical and bioactive properties in these glasses with varying alumina concentration from 0.5 to 2.5 mol%. The bioactivity of the glasses is evaluated by in vitro test in simulated body fluid (SBF). The formation of hydroxy carbonated apatite layer (HCA) on the surface of glasses after immersion in SBF is identified by the XRD, FTIR and SEM. The substitution of Al2O3 for SrO in these glasses demonstrates a significant enhancement in compressive strength and elastic modulus. However cytotoxicity and cell viability assessed using human osteosarcoma U2-OS cell lines show the growth of the cells without causing any significant loss of viability and cell death upto 1.5 mol% addition of Al2O3. Osteosarcoma cells grow on the surface of bioglasses which make them biocompatible and fit for use in clinical trials.