Influence of bioactive glass S53P4 granules and putty on osteomyelitis associated bacteria in vitro

Abstract

Bacterial infection of bone tissue and bone marrow, referred to as osteomyelitis, is a challenging clinical problem. In this study we analysed the influence of the granule size of the bone substitute bioactive glass (BAG) S53P4 and the novel putty material containing BAG S53P4 on four clinically important bacteria associated with osteomyelitis; Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin resistant Staphylococuus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Reference materials were the frequently used biomaterial in surgical bone grafting procedures; tricalcium phosphate and an inert glass. Powder of BAG S53P4 was used as a positive control. The materials were incubated with bacterial suspension and the viability of the microbes was determined as colony forming units after cultivation on agar plates. All pathogens lost their viability in contact with the BAG S53P4 granules and the powder of the BAG S53P4. The reference materials tricalcium phosphate and the inert glass had no effect on the viability of the bacteria. The BAG S53P4 putty containing 0.5-0.8 mm granules did not show any antibacterial effect on any of the tested bacteria. New putty compositions need to be investigated to obtain antibacterial properties for this novel bone regeneration biomaterial.