After an introduction showing the growing interest in glasses and glass-ceramics as biomaterials used for bone healing, we describe a new biomaterial named Biosilicate. Biosilicate is the designation of a group of fully crystallized glass-ceramics of the Na₂O-CaO-SiO₂-P₂O₅system. Severalin vitrotests have shown that Biosilicate is a very active biomaterial and that the HCA layer is formed in less than 24 hours of exposure to “simulated body fluid” (SBF) solution. Also,in vitrostudies with osteoblastic cells have shown that Biosilicate disks supported significantly larger areas of calcified matrix compared to 45S5 Bioglass, indicating that this bioactive glass-ceramic may promote enhancement ofin vitrobone-like tissue formation in osteogenic cell cultures. Finally, due to its special characteristics, Biosilicate has also been successfully tested in severalin vivostudies. These studies revealed that the material is biocompatible, presents excellent bioactive properties, and is effective to stimulate the deposition of newly formed bone in animal models. All these data highlight the huge potential of Biosilicate to be used in bone regeneration applications.

Objective: The purpose of this study was (i) to develop a method for successfully seeding osteoblasts onto a glass-ceramic scaffold designed for use in clinical settings, and (ii) to determine whether the application of laser phototherapy at 830 nm would result in osteoblast proliferation on the glass-ceramic scaffold. Background: The use of bioscaffolds is considered a promising strategy for a number of clinical applications where tissue healing is sub-optimal. As in vitro osteoblast growth is a slow process, laser phototherapy could be used to stimulate osteoblast proliferation on bioscaffolds. Methods: A methodology was developed to seed an osteoblastic (MC3T3) cell line onto a novel glass-ceramic scaffold. Seeded scaffolds were irradiated with a single exposure of 830 nm laser at 10 J/cm ² (at diode). Non-irradiated seeded scaffolds acted as negative controls. Cell proliferation was assessed seven days after irradiation. Results: Osteoblastic MC3T3 cells were successfully grown on discs composed of a glass-ceramic composite. Laser irradiation produced a 13% decrease in MC3T3 cell proliferation on glass-ceramic discs (mean ± SD = 0.192 ± 0.002) compared with control (non-irradiated) discs (mean ±SD = 0.22 ± 0.002). Conclusions: Despite successful seeding of bioscaffolds with osteoblasts, laser phototherapy resulted in a reduction in cell growth compared to non-irradiated controls. Future research combining laser phototherapy and glass-ceramic scaffolds should take into account possible interactions of the laser with matrix compounds.