Biological Impact of Bioactive Glasses and Their Dissolution Products

For many years, bioactive glasses (BGs) have been widely considered for bone tissue engineering applications due to their ability to bond to hard as well as soft tissue (a property termed bioactivity) and for their stimulating effects on bone formation. Ionic dissolution products released during the degradation of the BG matrix induce osteogenic gene expression leading to enhanced bone regeneration. Recently, adding bioactive metallic ions (e.g. boron, copper, cobalt, silver, zinc and strontium) to silicate (or phosphate and borate) glasses has emerged as a promising route for developing novel BG formulations with specific therapeutic functionalities, including antibacterial, angiogenic and osteogenic properties. The degradation behaviour of BGs can be tailored by adjusting the glass chemistry making these glass matrices potential carrier systems for controlled therapeutic ion release. This book chapter summarises the fundamental aspects of the effect of ionic dissolution products from BGs on osteogenesis and angiogenesis, whilst discussing novel BG compositions with controlled therapeutic ion release.