Author(s): Siqueira, L ; Grenho, L ; Fernandes, MH ; Monteiro, FJ ; Trichês, ES
Date: 2021
Persistent ID: https://hdl.handle.net/10216/152441
Origin: Repositório Aberto da Universidade do Porto
Subject(s): Bioglass; Bone tissue engineering; Gelcasting method; Niobium oxide; Porous materials; Scaffold
Scaffolds of bioglass derived from BG45S5 (45 wt% SiO2, 24.5 wt% CaO, 24.5 wt% Na2O and 6 wt% P2O5) containing 10 wt% niobium were prepared by gelcasting method. The scaffolds presented a 3D porous structure with interconnected and spherical pores (pore size range 100 µm to 500 µm) and high porosity (89%), similar to trabecular architecture of spongy bone. The compressive strength was 0.18 ± 0.03 MPa which is acceptable for bone repair applications. The in vitro biological studies showed cytocompatibility for human osteoblastic cells as well tendency for higher alkaline phosphatase activity. Therefore, the findings here suggest the great potential of the scaffolds for using in bone tissue engineering.
