Structural, Morphological and Antibacterial Investigation of Ag-Impregnated Sol-Gel-Derived 45S5 NanoBioglass Systems

An increasing percentage of ageing population requires 30-year survivability of orthopedic devices that is not possible with the current bioinert materials, having a maximum of 15-year survivability. To satisfy this growing need, a shift is needed from replacement of tissues to regeneration of tissues. This is highly possible through the use of silica-bioactive glasses. However, a failure of implant can occur due to infections even by using such materials. Advances in using silver for antibacterial applications have been commercialized. However, higher concentrations of silver also lead to toxic effects. In this study, nanoBioglass 45S5 (NBG) and Ag-NBG were synthesized by using sol-gel method followed by solution-phase method, respectively. The bioactive crystals such as Na2Ca2Si3O9, CaCO3, and AgPO3, very much needed in the field of bone tissue engineering and in antibacterial strategies, were obtained in the NBG Matrix. The morphological investigation of NBG with 1 mM Ag+ concentrations shows the nanospikes arrangement of size 30-40 nm with spherical porous structure of size 10-20 nm, which supports the formation of collagen molecular fibrils on the surface of NBG matrices and enhances osseointegration. Both gram-positive and gram-negative strains show higher antibacterial activity for nanoBioglass with 1 mM Ag+ concentration.