Bioactive glasses entering the mainstream

Abstract

Over the past decade, the extended research on bioactive glasses (BGs) has drastically grown because of their bioactive nature and unique ability to deliver therapeutics in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and even cancer research. These strategies mostly rely on the inherent potential of BGs regarding bonding to the living tissues and accelerating the healing process. All the possibilities are strongly associated with releasing various therapeutic ions from the BG structures into the biological environment. Additionally, some types of glasses [i.e., mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs)] can serve as suitable platforms for the delivery of various small molecules and pharmaceutical agents. This class of biomaterials is recognised as a highly versatile delivery system, playing a crucial part in the future of medicine.