A novel sol-gel derived bioactive glass featuring antibacterial properties

Antibacterial effects are highly desirable in biomaterials for dental, orthopaedic, and tissue engineering applications. The study herein reports on the bacteriostatic properties of a new composition of bioactive glass derived by the sol-gel process. Ag2O was incorporated into the SiO2-CaO-P2O5 system. Leaching of the Ag+ ion from the glass conferred strong bacteriostatic properties to the system. In vitro antibacterial tests on sam (+) and gram (-) bacteria showed that in the presence of bioactive glass no significant alteration of the cell concentration occurs. Conversely the novel silver-doped bioactive glass causes a dramatic decrease of cell population for each of the bacteria under investigation. Unlike antibiotics the silver ion does not cause bacterial resistance. This property, together with its broad spectrum of action, makes silver an exceptionally versatile in situ antibacterial agent.