Bacteriostatic action of a novel four-component bioactive glass.

Bacterial adhesion to biomaterials causing biomaterial-centered infection and poor tissue integration is a problem that limits the extensive use of many biomaterial devices in clinical applications. Bioactive materials are those biomaterials that form a compliant, mechanically stable bond with host tissue. Sol-gel-derived glasses in the three-component system SiO(2)-CaO-P(2)O(5) exhibit bioactivity that is dependent on composition and texture (i.e., specific surface area, pore size, structure, and distribution). The in vitro bioactivity and antibacterial action of a novel sol-gel-derived glass, AgBG, in the system SiO(2)-CaO-P(2)O(5)-Ag(2)O are compared with those of its three-component counterpart, BG. The incorporation of 3-wt % Ag(2)O conferred antimicrobial properties to the glass without compromising its bioactivity. AgBG exhibited a marked bacteriostatic effect on E. coli MG1655 with a minimum inhibiting concentration of 0.2 mg (biomaterial)/mL (culture solution), above which bacterial growth was reduced to 0.01% of that of the control culture. In comparison, BG did not possess antimicrobial properties over the concentration range investigated (0.1-40.0 mg/mL). Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.