Strontium-releasing mesoporous bioactive glasses with anti-adhesive zwitterionic surface as advanced biomaterials for...

The treatment of bone fractures still represents a challenging clinical issue when complications due to impaired bone remodelling (i.e. osteoporosis) or infections occur. These clinical needs still require a radical improvement of the existing therapeutic approach through the design of advanced biomaterials combining the ability to promote bone regeneration with anti-adhesive properties able to minimise unspecific biomolecules adsorption and bacterial adhesion. Strontium-containing mesoporous bioactive glasses (Sr-MBG), which are able to exert a pro-osteogenic effect by releasing Sr²⁺ ions, have been successfully functionalised to provide mixed-charge (NH₃^⊕/COO^⊝) surface groups with anti-adhesive abilities.

Sr-MBG have been post-synthesis modified by co-grafting hydrolysable short chain silanes containing amino (aminopropylsilanetriol) and carboxylate (carboxyethylsilanetriol) moieties to achieve a zwitterionic zero-charge surface. The final system was then characterised in terms of textural-structural properties, bioactivity, cytotoxicity, pro-osteogenic and anti-adhesive capabilities.

After zwitterionization the in vitro bioactivity was maintained, as well as the ability to release Sr²⁺ ions which are capable of inducing a mineralization process. Irrespective of their size, Sr-MBG particles did not exhibit any cytotoxicity in pre-osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 up to the concentration of 75 µg/mL. Finally, the zwitterionic Sr-MBGs showed a significant reduction of serum protein adhesion with respect to the pristine ones. These results open promising future expectations in the design of nanosystems which combine pro-osteogenic and anti-adhesive properties.