Chapters authored
Nanofluorophosphate Glasses as Biocompatible and Bioactive Materials in Porous Biopolymeric Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering
Mimicking the hierarchical structure and function of natural bone using synthetic materials is a key objective in regenerative medicine. This chapter presents a comprehensive overview of metal oxide-doped nanofluorophosphate (NFP) glass-based composites incorporated with biodegradable poly(lactic acid) (PLA) scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. These inorganic-organic hybrid systems demonstrate enhanced biocompatibility, bioactivity, and mechanical strength compared to available synthetic materials. Doping with therapeutic ions such as silver, zinc, magnesium, calcium, phosphate, and fluoride enables controlled ion release, promoting osteogenesis, mineralization, and vascularization. The porous structure of the scaffolds, with highly interconnected pores, facilitates mesenchymal stem cell infiltration, nutrient and oxygen exchange, and effective tissue regeneration. Recent advances in smart scaffold design, including nano structuring and 3D bioprinting, underscore the superiority of fluorophosphate-based systems over traditional silicate and other phosphate glasses and their variants. Collectively, these multifunctional composites represent a paradigm shift in bone repair strategies, offering superior osteoconductive and osteoinductive properties and the capacity to bridge critical-sized bone defects more effectively than currently available materials.
Part of the book: Polymeric Scaffolds