Bioactive Glass in Tissue Regeneration: Unveiling Recent Advances in Regenerative Strategies and Applications

Bioactive glass (BG) is a class of biocompatible, biodegradable, multifunctional inorganic glass materials, which is successfully used for orthopedic and dental applications, with several products already approved for clinical use. Apart from exhibiting osteogenic properties, BG is also known to be angiogenic and antibacterial. Recently, BG's role in immunomodulation has been gradually revealed. While the therapeutic effect of BG is mostly reported in the context of bone and skin-related regeneration, its application in regenerating other tissues/organs, such as muscle, cartilage, and gastrointestinal tissue, has also been explored recently. The strategies of applying BG have also expanded from powder or cement form to more advanced strategies such as fabrication of composite polymer-BG scaffold, 3D printing of BG-loaded scaffold, and BG-induced extracellular vesicle production. This review presents a concise overview of the recent applications of BG in regenerative medicine. Various regenerative strategies of BG will be first introduced. Next, the applications of BG in regenerating various tissues/organs, such as bone, cartilage, muscle, tendon, skin, and gastrointestinal tissue, will be discussed. Finally, summarizing clinical applications of BG for tissue regeneration will conclude, and outline future challenges and directions for the clinical translation of BG.