Effects of adding forsterite bioceramic on in vitro activity and antibacterial properties of bioactive glass-forsterite nanocomposite powders

Abstract

Compared to conventional ceramics, bioceramics with average grain size less than 100 nm exhibit superior mechanical and biological properties like solubility, biocompatibility, bioactivity and adsorption. In the present research, bioactive glass-forsterite nanocomposite powders with 10, 20 and 30 wt. of forsterite were successfully synthesized by sol-gel method. The effect of adding forsterite on the bioactivity and antibacterial behavior of the prepared nanocomposite powders was also studied. Characterization of the nanocomposite powder samples was done using X-ray diffraction analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The in vitro bioactivity of the nanocomposite powders was assessed via immersion of the needed samples in the simulated body fluid (SBF) for different predicted time intervals. Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of the samples was done using Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Results showed that prepared nanocomposite powders consisted of the agglomerates of spherical the particles with a particle size of about 10-60 nm. Confirmation of the bioactivity of the samples was obtained by the formation of a hydroxyl-carbonate apatite layer (HCA) on the surface of the nan-composite powders during in vitro immersion studies. In addition, the highest bioactivity was obtained for the sample containing 20 wt. of forsterite. Although no antibacterial activity was observed at broth concentrations below 50 mg/ml, the nanocomposite powders revealed an intense antibacterial activity at broth concentrations higher than 50 mg/ml and the sensitivity of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria to samples was different. According to the results, the produced nanocomposite powder could be an attractive candidate for oral bone imperfections treatment. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The Society of Powder Technology Japan.