Antibiotic loading on bioactive glasses and glass-ceramics: an approach to surface modification

A bioactive glass and its corresponding glass-ceramic have been used to investigate the possibility to load a common antibiotic (carbenicillin) on their surface during the reactivity processes which occur by dipping these materials in a simulated body fluid. The materials bioactivity in the early stage of simulated body fluid treatment has been investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS) and X-ray diffraction. The uptake of carbenicillin has been performed by dipping the samples in simulated body fluid solution with a drug concentration of 500 mg/l for 6, 12 and 24 h. Some glass samples underwent a pre-treatment in simulated body fluid, for different time frames, in order to form a silica gel layer before the surface exposition to antibiotic. The carbenicillin release has been measured in water up to 36 h. The amount of incorporated and released antibiotic has been estimated by UV visible spectrophotometer. All samples were able to incorporate a significant amount of antibiotic and it was possible to tailor the drug release by modifying the simulated body fluid pre-treatment.