Antibacterial properties of bioactive glasses

Abstract

Nanosized bioactive glasses, ion and natural organic substances and blended/doped bioactive glasses have been gaining growing attention due to their superior osteoconductivity and antibacterial characteristics in contrast to conventional (micron-sized) bioactive glass materials. The combination of bioactive glass nanoparticles with various ions like silver (Ag+), copper (Cu2+), cerium (Ce2+), zinc (Zn2+) and various organic naturally occurring substances can be used in various orthopaedic, soft tissue and dental applications, including tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to treat various bacterial infections that may have been caused by bacterial species like Escherichia coli, Saprospira grandis, Streptococcus faecalis, Streptococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This chapter presents the available methods for the preparation of these materials, their application, type of bioactive glasses, factors that play a vital role in enhancing their antibacterial properties against various bacterial traits and a brief detail of techniques applied to carry out antibacterial studies of nanosized bioactive glasses.