58S bioactive glass (BG) has effective biocompatibility and bioresorbable properties for bone tissue engineering; however, it has limitations regarding antibacterial, antioxidant, and mechanical properties. Therefore, we have developed BGAC biocomposites by reinforcing 58S BG with silver and ceria nanoparticles, which showed effective bactericidal properties by forming inhibited zones of 2.13 mm (against Escherichia coli) and 1.96 mm (against Staphylococcus aureus; evidenced by disc diffusion assay) and an increment in the antioxidant properties by 39.9%. Moreover, the elastic modulus, hardness, and fracture toughness were observed to be increased by ∼84.7% (∼51.9 GPa), ∼54.5% (∼3.4 GPa), and ∼160% (∼1.3 MPam1/2), whereas the specific wear rate was decreased by ∼55.2% (∼1.9 × 10-11 m3/Nm). X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy confirmed the fabrication of biocomposites and the uniform distribution of the nanomaterials in the BG matrix. The addition of silver nanoparticles in the 58S BG matrix (in BGA) increased mechanical properties by composite strengthening and bactericidal properties by damaging the cytoplasmic membrane of bacterial cells. The addition of nanoceria in 58S BG (BGC) increased the antioxidant properties by 44.5% (as evidenced by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay). The resazurin reduction assay and MTT assay confirmed the effective cytocompatibility for BGAC biocomposites against mouse embryonic fibroblast cells (NIH3T3) and mouse bone marrow stromal cells. Overall, BGAC resulted in mechanical properties comparable to those of cancellous bone, and its effective antibacterial and cytocompatibility properties make it a good candidate for bone healing.
Keywords: antibacterial; bioactive glass; biocomposites; cytocompatibility; wear resistance.