Synthesis and Functionalization of Mesoporous Bioactive Glasses for Drug Delivery

Recently Mesoporous bioactive glasses were synthesized for which outstanding applications in the biomedical field are expected. It is nowadays recognized, in fact, that microporous and mesoporous inorganic and hybrid organic-inorganic bioactive matrices and scaffolds can be produced with controlled rates of resorption and controlled surface chemistries. The type and concentration of released inorganic and organic species and their release sequence can be tuned; this is a vital requirement in stimulating cell proliferation and enhancing subsequent cell differentiation. The ability to bond to living tissues and the high pore volume allow to exploit mesoporous bioactive materials also simply for local drug delivery allowing to overcome the limitations of systemic delivery: therapeutic concentrations at the site of infection, but for short periods of time, forcing repeated dosing for longer periods.