Selenium-modified borate bioactive glasses prepared by melt-quenching: Structural, bioactive, and cytocompatibility evaluation

Abdolmaleki M, Mejía GAC, Boccaccini AR, Michálek M (2026)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids Elsevier

Book Volume: 690

Article Number: 124230

DOI: 10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2026.124230

Abstract

Bioactive glasses (BGs) are considered for biomedical applications due to their excellent bioactivity and biological performance. Borate-based BGs exhibit faster apatite formation than silicate systems when exposed to physiological environments. Although the effects of therapeutic ion doping have been extensively investigated in silicate BGs, studies on ion-modified borate compositions remain limited. Selenium (Se), a therapeutic trace element with reported antioxidant, antibacterial, and possible anticancer properties, has rarely been introduced into BGs. In this work, Se was incorporated into the borate glass 13-93B3 (54.6 B2O3, 6 Na2O, 7.9 K2O, 7.7 MgO, 22.1 CaO, 1.7 P2O5 in mol%) via the melt-quenching method. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) confirmed SeO2 incorporation in concentrations of 0.05, 0.46, and 0.50 mol%. Structural analyses confirmed the amorphous nature of the glasses, while selenium incorporation only slightly modified the thermal transitions of 13-93B3. All compositions showed fast apatite layer formation after 1 day in simulated body fluid. Cytocompatibility tests with MG-63 osteosarcoma cells indicated that both free Se and Se-containing BGs with up to 0.46 mol% SeO2 maintained > 90% cell viability at 0.1% w/v extract after 24 hours of incubation. In contrast, the 0.50 mol% SeO2 sample showed reduced viability, attributed to higher Se ion release (∼12-fold higher than in the lowest-doped sample). The Se concentration range between 0.05 and 0.46 mol% appears promising for subsequent investigations on antibacterial and anticancer activity. Notably, SeO2 volatilization during melting remains an underexplored limitation that warrants attention in future studies.

Authors with CRIS profile

Aldo Boccaccini Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Biomaterialien)

Involved external institutions

Trenčianska univerzita Alexandra Dubčeka v Trenčíne SK Slovakia (SK)

How to cite

APA:

Abdolmaleki, M., Mejía, G.A.C., Boccaccini, A.R., & Michálek, M. (2026). Selenium-modified borate bioactive glasses prepared by melt-quenching: Structural, bioactive, and cytocompatibility evaluation. Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2026.124230

MLA:

Abdolmaleki, Mina, et al. "Selenium-modified borate bioactive glasses prepared by melt-quenching: Structural, bioactive, and cytocompatibility evaluation." Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids 690 (2026).

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