Mineralization and osteoblast response to bioactive glass in vitro

Bioactive glass, an osteoproductive material, has received considerable attention as a bone graft substitute in the treatment of bony defects. Bioactive CaO-SiO(2)-P(2)O(5) glass was prepared using the sol-gel method, and mineralization behaviour in vitro was investigated by soaking it in simulated body fluid (SBF). Cellular cultivation in vitro, MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)- 2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) and Von Kossa assays were conducted to evaluate the osteoblast response to the bioactive glass. A calcium phosphate carbonate hydroxide (HCA) layer was formed on the bioactive glass after soaking for 3 days in SBF, which indicated that the mineralization on the surface of bioactive glass could progress spontaneously. The osteoblast response results demonstrated that bioactive glass had no cytotoxicity, and it might not be harmful to the morphology of the osteoblast. The growth and proliferation of the osteoblastic cell could not be inhibited. Nodule formation was also observed in conditioned medium containing dissolution bioactive glass and these nodules were shown to be mineralized by Von Kossa staining, which indicates that bioactive glass shows good biocompatibility.