An in vitro study to assess halide-containing glass-coated surgical suture for bone regeneration in implant surgery

Polyglycolic acid (PGA) suture is a synthetic, absorbable, and biocompatible material. However, it lacks bioactivity and cannot bond with osseous tissue. Bioactive glasses have the ability to form surface apatite and bond with bone, but they are brittle and therefore difficult to shape in the operating room. PGA sutures were coated with chloride-silicate glass (CSG) using the slurry dipping technique. The CSG-coated sutures were characterized before and after immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF) by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The adhesion of the glass coating to the PGA suture was assessed by the knot performance test. The bioactivity of the coated sutures was investigated in SBF) after 7, 14, 21, and 28 days of immersion. The pH variation of the SBF was measured using a pH meter. Tensile strength of the bare and coated sutures was quantified using a universal testing machine before and after immersion in SBF, and the cytotoxicity was assessed using osteoblast-like cells after 24, 48, 72, and 168h. The results revealed that the coating covered and adhered to the surgical suture. The coated suture had the ability to form a small size or low amount of apatite after 7 days of immersion. The CSG coating exhibited a tendency to increase the tensile strength of the suture, but this increase was not statistically significant. The glass coating was not cytotoxic to osteoblast-like cells. It is suggested that PGA sutures coated with CSG could be used as a potential material to promote bone regeneration.