Correlating the Effect of Composition and Textural Properties on Bioactivity for Pristine and Copper-Doped Binary Mesoporous Bioactive Glass Nanoparticles

Abstract

Multifunctional substitutes for bone tissue engineering have gained significant interest in recent years in the aim to address the clinical challenge of treating large bone defects resulting from surgical procedures. Sol–gel mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (MBGNs) have emerged as a promising solution due to their high reactivity and versatility. The effect of calcium content on MBGNs textural properties is well known. However, the relationship between their composition, textural properties, and reactivity has not yet been thoroughly discussed in existing studies, leading to divergent conclusions. In this study, pristine and copper-doped binary MGBNs were synthesized by a modified Stöber method, using a cationic surfactant as pore-templating agent. An opposite evolution between calcium content (12–26 wt%) and specific surface area (909–208 m2/g) was evidenced, while copper introduction (8.8 wt%) did not strongly affect the textural properties. In vitro bioactivity assessments conducted in simulated body fluid (SBF) revealed that the kinetics of hydroxyapatite (HAp) crystallization are mainly influenced by the specific surface area, while the composition primarily controls the quantity of calcium phosphate produced. The MBGNs exhibited a good bioactivity within 3 h, while Cu-MBGNs showed HAp crystallization after 48 h, along with a controlled copper release (up to 84 ppm at a concentration of 1 mg/mL). This comprehensive understanding of the interplay between composition, textural properties, and bioactivity, offers insights for the design of tailored MBGNs for bone tissue regeneration with additional biological and antibacterial effects.