A review ofin vitrocell culture testing methods for bioactive glasses and other biomaterials for hard tissue regeneration

Abstract

Bioactive glasses are used to regenerate bone, and when developing new compositions, in vitro cell culture studies are key. As test parameters vary widely, this review provides an overview, helping researchers to select the appropriate ones.

Impact of Zinc- or Copper-Doped Mesoporous Bioactive Glass Nanoparticles on the Osteogenic Differentiation and Matrix Formation of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells

“…Previously, our group assessed the impact of MBGNs based on the SiO 2 –CaO system on the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs in a direct cultivation setting [ 13 , 32 ] in which cells are placed in direct contact with the MBGNs [ 16 , 17 ]. Using this approach, the influence of the direct physical contact of the cells to the MBGNs can be evaluated.…”

“…Transferred to the physiological situation, the direct setting simulates the direct contact that exists when the material is used to fill a bone defect [ 21 ]. However, the IDPs of BGs are also transported by fluids to the surrounding tissue, represented by the indirect cultivation setting where cells are cultivated in media containing IDPs of the respective glasses, but not in their direct (physical) presence [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 21 ]. These surrounding but not directly adjacent cells play an important role in the formation and maturation of the ECM, making analyzing the impact of IDPs in indirect in vitro settings relevant [ 22 ].…”

“…Besides the differences in the transferability to the physiological situation, indirect cultivation settings also allow assessing the impact of BGs on the maturation and formation of the ECM without the effect of particle size or surface topography [ 13 , 18 ]. Furthermore, direct co-cultivation settings complicate the ECM assessment mostly due to the intrinsic ability of BGs to develop a carbonate-substituted hydroxyapatite layer on their surface upon contact with physiological liquids and because BGs stick to their surroundings, also to the primitive ECM in in vitro settings [ 2 , 16 , 19 , 20 ]. Therefore, to assess solely the impact of the IDPs of MBGNs alone and MBGNs doped with Zn or Cu on the ECM formation and maturation ability of BMSCs, an indirect cultivation setting was used, simulating the constant ion release of the MBGNs by parallel incubation as described previously [ 18 ].…”

“…The impact of biomaterials, such as MBGNs, on ECM formation and maturation, can be analyzed in cell culture settings using indirect cultivation approaches in which cells are cultivated in the presence of their ionic dissolution products (IDPs). These studies are necessary since direct cultivation settings complicate the assessment of the ECM, especially due to interactions with commonly used assay methods [ 16 , 17 , 18 ] caused by the intrinsic ability of bioactive glasses (BGs) to develop a carbonate-substituted hydroxyapatite layer on their surface and because BGs stick to their surroundings, also to the primitive ECM, in in vitro settings [ 2 , 16 , 19 , 20 ]. When transferred to the in vivo situation, indirect settings simulate the IDPs’ impact on the surrounding cells that are not in direct contact with the biomaterial itself [ 21 ].…”

Sol-gel: Uncomplicated, routine and affordable synthesis procedure for utilization of composites in drug delivery: Review

“…Therefore, when a composite is exposed to biodegradation tests, bioactivity will also be exhibited in SBF, and degradation will be affected, simulating better in vivo conditions. A composite's in vivo examination is not only limited to the release of drugs but also extended to its bioactivity [149,150].…”