In the bone regeneration process, a bone graft is typically used. There are two kinds of grafting methods, autograft, and allograft. Autograft uses the patient's bone tissue to replace the missing connection between the bones, while allograft uses external tissues from donors. Unfortunately, these two methods also have risks. Autograft can cause complication after surgery, while allograft method can cause the donor's disease to be transmitted from donor to the patient and induce unwanted immune response. Moreover, since it requires donors, it is only available in limited quantity, and may not be available. Currently, these two different methods are the most common ones and there are risks associated with these two methods.

The risk associated with these two methods makes autograft and allograft not suitable for treating large bone defects and thus drives the development of a new kind of grafting method. Instead of directly replacing the missing bones, it utilizes the patient’s bone cells to regenerate new tissue. The scaffold acts as a template for the bone regeneration process and initiates cellular activity. This new method is different since it does not require donors does not harvest the existing tissue, and can handle a more challenging bone regeneration process.

The research done focuses on the development of AgNPs-doped scaffold. This scaffold will be the template for bone recovery. According to the result, the addition of AgNPs to the scaffold material (made from Mesoporous Bioactive Glass) can effectively prevent infection when the template is placed inside the patient’s body. The result shows it can effectively resist bacterial growth. This paper discusses the effectiveness and process used while designing and making the scaffold.

Mesoporous Bioactive Glass (MSG) consist of different kinds of compounds. To fabricate the Mesoporous Bioactive Glass (MBG) , the researchers design a glass composed of silicon dioxide (85%), calcium oxide (CaO)(10%), AgNPs (Ag Nanoparticles), and phosphorus pentoxide (5%). These compounds are made from Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) (for silicon dioxide), triethyl phosphate (TEP) (for phosphorus pentaoxide), calciumnitrate tetrahydrate(for calcium oxide), silver nitrate (for AgNPs). Different materials are used to make Mesoporous Bioactive Glass.

In the bacterial growth test, the MSBs that contain and without Ag nanoparticles are compared. Above is the chart and picture that represents the effectiveness of Ag nanoparticles. The measurement is used using an X-Ray Fluorescent technique or confocal microscope.

Based on the result, the MBG with the highest Ag NP composition (0.15%, 0.3%, 1%) has the highest biofilm degradation activity. Biofilm is the layer that forms when the bacteria cells aggregate and create a protection layer from harsh conditions. When the biofilm is damaged, bacteria have less chance of surviving. Not only does it have higher biofilm degradation activity, but the MBG-Ag also has a lower number of bacteria. The results show that AgNP can suppress bacterial growth.