Preparation, in vitro mineralization and osteoblast cell response of electrospun 13–93 bioactive glass nanofibers

• 13–93 bioactive glass fibers were fabricated using electrospinning technique.
• Fibers retained the amorphous glass structure after heat treatment at 625 °C.
• Fabricated 13–93 nanofibers showed high bioactivity in SBF.
• They were not toxic to MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblast cells.

In this study, silicate based 13–93 bioactive glass fibers were prepared through sol–gel processing and electrospinning technique. A precursor solution containing poly (vinyl alcohol) and bioactive glass sol was used to produce fibers. The mixture was electrospun at a voltage of 20 kV by maintaining tip to a collector distance of 10 cm. The amorphous glass fibers with an average diameter of 464 ± 95 nm were successfully obtained after calcination at 625 °C. Hydroxyapatite formation on calcined 13–93 fibers was investigated in simulated body fluid (SBF) using two different fiber concentrations (0.5 and 1 mg/ml) at 37 °C. When immersed in SBF, conversion to a calcium phosphate material showed a strong dependence on the fiber concentration. At 1 mg/ml, the surface of the fibers converted to the hydroxyapatite-like material in SBF only after 30 days. At lower solid concentrations (0.5 mg/ml), an amorphous calcium phosphate layer formation was observed followed by the conversion to hydroxyapatite phase after 7 days of immersion. The XTT (2,3-Bis-(2-Methoxy-4-Nitro-5-Sulfophenyl)-2H-Tetrazolium-5-Carboxanilide) assay was conducted to evaluate the osteoblast cell response to the bioactive glass fibers.

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