Development of novel mesoporous silica-based bioactive glass scaffolds with drug delivery capabilities

Novel silica-based bioactive glasses were successfully prepared by the sol-gel method. The optimized glass composition for fabrication of the scaffolds was (in mol.%) 60% SiO2 – 30% CaO - 5% Na2O - 5% P2O5 (60S30C5N5P). This composition was confirmed to develop a thick hydroxycarbonate apatite (HCA) layer in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) after 7 days, as revealed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), indicating the bioactive character of the scaffolds. The mesoporous nature of the glass structure allows the load of tetracycline and a sustained release of the drug in PBS during 7 days was measured.