Zn and Sr incorporated 64S bioglasses: Material characterization, in-vitro bioactivity and mesenchymal stem cell responses.

Essential element like Zn or Sr is known to play an important role in bone remodeling process. In this study, we have used the sol-gel process to synthesize the Zn (2%) and Sr (5%) doped 64S bioglasses (BGs, 64SiO2-5P2O5-31CaO, mol.%), alone and co-doped. The synthesized glasses were characterized by XRD, FTIR and STEM. For biological evaluation, the effects of Zn and Sr incorporation on the in vitro bioactivity of the synthesized BGs were studied using the simulated body fluid (SBF) soaking. The proliferation and differentiation (ALP, OCN) of rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on these BGs were studied using CCK-8 and ELISA analyses. The results indicated that Zn had been uniformly incorporated into the bioglass, and demonstrated a stimulating effect on apatite-like layer formation, MSC proliferation and differentiation. On the other hand, most of Sr appeared to form a secondary crystal phase with extremely high solubility in SBF, showing an enhancing effect only in MSC differentiation but not in proliferation, as well as an inhibitory effect on apatite-like layer formation. The different dissolution behaviors of Sr and Zn ions seemed to have a strong correlation with the different apatite-like layer formation capabilities and the cellular responses of Zn and Sr containing BGs.