Effects of Sr and Mg dopants on biological and mechanical properties of SiO2–CaO–P2O5 bioactive glass

In the present study, the effects of Sr and Mg were investigated on mechanical and biological properties of 58S bioactive glass (BG). SiO2-P2O5-CaO BG with different contents of Sr and Mg were synthesized via the sol-gel method and immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF) for several days to explore their biocompatibility. Precise analyses of the BG using X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy showed that the Mg-doped BG containing 8 wt % MgO possessed better biocompatibility. It was also found that mechanical properties of the BG could be improved by increasing the amounts of MgO and SrO. Both 5Sr-BG and 8Mg-BG samples did not exhibit any cytotoxicity while showing high alkaline phosphatase activity in comparison with control specimens. However, the Sr-doped BG sample including 5 wt % SrO demonstrated enhanced bioactivity and biocompatibility.