One-pot synthesis of copper-doped mesoporous bioglass towards multifunctional 3D nanofibrous scaffolds for bone regeneration

A multifunctional bioactive material with osteogenic and antibacterial performance is of crucial importance for the repair of large bone defects. Herein, three-dimensional (3D) mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) nanofibrous scaffolds doped with copper (Cu) were synthesized via a one-pot template-assisted sol-gel method followed by calcination. The morphology, structure, pore structure, in vitro bioactivity, cell biocompatibility, and antibacterial activity of the as-prepared 3D Cu-doped MBG nanofibrous scaffolds with varying amounts of doped Cu were characterized and compared. The results demonstrate that, besides large specific surface areas and a well-defined three-dimensional (3D) network structure, the as-prepared scaffolds exhibit good in vitro bioactivity and biocompatibility and excellent antibacterial activity against gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative Escherichia coli It is believed that the 3D Cu-doped MBG nanofibrous scaffolds show potential application in preventing infections.