Chávez, Juan C. Palomeque, Mohammed, Ali A., Aghajanpour, Sareh, Li, Siwei, Enzo, Stefano, Kelly, Nicole L., Bradley, David G., Kerherve, Gwilherm, Porter, Alexandra E., Hanna, John V., Jones, Julian R. and Pinna, Alessandra, 2025, Journal Article, One-pot sol–gel synthesis of Sr/Ca-doped silica nanoparticles for osteogenic therapy in osteoporosis Frontiers in Nanotechnology, 7. pp. 1-19. ISSN 2673-3013
| Abstract or Description: | <jats:p>Osteoporosis affects more than 200 million people worldwide, with an osteoporotic fracture occurring approximately every 3 seconds; with ageing populations, its prevalence continues to rise, yet it remains under-diagnosed and under-treated. Strontium- and calcium-doped mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (BGNPs) are promising due to their ability to combine bioactive bone-regenerative function with controlled therapeutic ion release. We optimized a one-step sol–gel (modified Stöber) synthesis by varying the solvent system (pure water vs. 1:1 ethanol/water) to control BGNP size and morphology and assessed their effects on pre-osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1). Characterization by electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and ^29Si MAS NMR showed that ethanol inclusion yielded smaller, uniform spherical particles (74 ± 5 nm), whereas water alone produced significantly larger particles (224 ± 42 nm). Both Sr<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> and Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> were incorporated as network modifiers within an amorphous silicate framework, with no crystalline phases. Cytocompatibility assays revealed a size-dependent response: larger particles reduced cell viability at 1 μg/mL, while both sizes were biocompatible at 0.1 μg/mL. At the non-toxic concentration of 0.1 μg/mL, BGNPs enhanced alkaline phosphatase activity, promoted osteogenic differentiation, and exhibited antioxidant activity by scavenging tert-butyl hydroperoxide-induced free radicals. These results indicate that solvent-controlled synthesis effectively tunes BGNP size without disrupting silicate network integrity, and that properly sized Sr/Ca-doped BGNPs support both osteogenic and antioxidant responses, making them strong candidates for advanced therapeutic approaches in osteoporosis treatment.</jats:p> |
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| School or Centre: | School of Design |
| Identification Number or DOI: | 10.3389/fnano.2025.1634210 |
| Date Deposited: | 23 Jan 2026 17:41 |
| Last Modified: | 23 Jan 2026 17:41 |
| URI: | https://researchonline.rca.ac.uk/id/eprint/6722 |
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