Antibacterial properties, in vitro bioactivity and cell proliferation of titania-wollastonite composites

Titania-wollastonite materials that show high in vitro bioactivity, appropriate cell proliferation and antibacterial behavior have been developed. Titania-wollastonite compounds were synthesized by two different routes: (i) solid state reaction and (ii) sol-gel. The in vitro bioactivity assessment was performed by immersing samples in a simulated body fluid (SBF). The materials characterization, before and after immersion in SBF, was performed by SEM and EDS. Cytotoxicity was assessed by estimating cell proliferation and the antibacterial properties were evaluated by performing a kinetic study of a bacterium growth (Burkhoderia cepacia). In order to evaluate the band gap value UV-vis spectroscopy was performed. A faster apatite layer formation was observed on the samples processed by sol-gel. However, these agglomerates were smaller than those formed on the solid state reaction substrates. The highest inhibition of the bacteria growth and the highest cell proliferation were observed on the samples synthesized by solid state reaction. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.