Titanium and Strontium-doped Phosphate Glasses as Vehicles for Strontium Ion Delivery to Cells

This study investigated the use of a Ti-containing quaternary phosphate glass system P2O5—Na2O—CaO—TiO 2 as a vehicle for strontium ion delivery to cells. Four glass compositions were manufactured: 0.5P2O5— 0.15Na2O—0.05TiO 2—(0.3 - x)CaO—xSrO (x = 0, 0.01, 0.03, and 0.05). Structural characterization revealed that sodium calcium phosphate is the dominant phase in all the glasses. Degradation studies demonstrated highly linear glass degradation, with Sr-containing glasses degrading at higher rates than the Sr-free glass. Biocompatibility studies using MG63 cells showed that the Sr-containing glasses possess excellent cell attachment and growth, particularly over short periods (~4 days).