Sol-gel derived mesoporous bioactive glass fibers as tissue-engineering scaffolds

Mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) fibers have been synthesized using the combination of a sol–gel process and a high velocity spray procedure by carefully controlling the sol composition, acidity and water content. A three-dimensional (3D) macro-structure with ∼50–100 μm interconnected macropores is formed in the spraying process. The MBG fibers possess well-ordered hexagonal mesostructure and excellent in vitro bioactivities. Sprague–Dawley (SD) rat osteoblasts have been cultured on MBG fibers. It is found that the MBG fibers have good cell biocompatibility and the 3D macro-structure is beneficial for cell attachment. It is anticipated that MBG fibers with controlled mesostructure and excellent in vitro bioactivity are good candidates for future tissue-engineering scaffolds