Andra-Maria Burdalescu

Gaststudentin (National University of Science and Technology – Polytechnic of Bucharest, Romania)

Alginate-gelatine scaffolds containing ion releasing mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles for bone regeneration

Supervisors: Andrada-Ioana Damian-Buda, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Scaffolds are essential for bone regeneration, offering a 3D structure that supports cell growth and tissue repair. Among different materials, bioactive glasses are widely used due to their biocompatibility and ability to release therapeutic ions that promote bone bonding [1]. These properties can be further enhanced in mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (MBGNs), due to their high surface area and controlled ion release, finally improving their interactions with the polymer matrix [2,3]. At the same time, alginate-dialdehyde and gelatin (ADA-GEL) hydrogels provide a biocompatible, tunable, and 3D-printable platform for embedding these MBGNs [4]. To improve the dispersibility of MBGNs, tailor the ion release and strengthen the interface between the hydrogel matrix and the MBGNs, the nanoparticles can be functionalized with specific ligands. In this regard, the first part of this study will focus on the characterization of ligand-functionalized, ion-doped MBNGs in terms of physicochemical (FTIR, XRD), textural and morphological properties. In the subsequent step, the influence of surface functionalization on the interaction with the ADA-Gel matrix will be evaluated in terms of mechanical properties, bioactivity and printability to evaluate their suitability for bone tissue engineering.

[1] Unalan, I., Fuggerer, T., Slavik, B., Buettner, A., & Boccaccini, A. R. (2021). Antibacterial and antioxidant activity of cinnamon essential oil-laden 45S5 bioactive glass/soy protein composite scaffolds for the treatment of bone infections and oxidative stress. Materials Science & Engineering C, 128, 112320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msec.2021.112320

[2] Hassani Besheli, N., Verbakel, J., Hosseini, M., Andrée, L., Joosten, B., Walboomers, X. F., Cambi, A., Yang, F., & Leeuwenburgh, S. C. G. (2023). Cellular uptake of modified mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles for effective intracellular delivery of therapeutic agents. International Journal of Nanomedicine, 18, 1599–1612. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S397297

[3] Neščáková, Z., Zheng, K., Liverani, L., Nawaz, Q., Galuskova, D., Kaňková, H., Michálek, M., Galusek, D., & Boccaccini, A. R. (2019). Multifunctional zinc ion doped sol–gel derived mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles for biomedical applications. Bioactive Materials, 4, 312–321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioactmat.2019.10.002

[4] Monavari, M., et al. (2022). A 3D Printed Bone Tissue Engineering Scaffold Composed of Alginate Dialdehyde-Gelatine Reinforced by Lysozyme Loaded Cerium Doped Mesoporous Silica-Calcia Nanoparticles. Macromol. Biosci. 22, 2200113. https://doi.org/10.1002/mabi.202200113