Fabrication of Rice-Husk-Derived Silica Mediated Bioactive Glass for Antibacterial and Wound Healing Applications

Abstract

Bioactive glass is a promising material for biomedical applications due to the presence of biologically active ions. In this article, we explored sustainable and cost-effective substitutes for pure quartz glass by utilizing rice-husk-extracted silica for wound healing applications. Two new bioglasses (rice-husk silica glass (RSG) and quartz silica glass (QSG)) were synthesized by using rice-husk extracted silica and pure quartz silica, respectively, and their physiochemical and biological properties were compared with the conventional 45S5 bioglass. Different biological assays like zone of inhibition, colony counting, and morphology analysis by electron microscopy confirmed the potent antibacterial activities of the newly developed bioglasses. Antioxidant assays and cytotoxicity assays proved that these bioglasses are biocompatible and promote normal cell proliferation. Finally, in vivo wound healing studies carried out in the rat model demonstrated rapid wound healing properties of the RSG bioglass. This study explores sustainable approaches of utilizing biomass derived silica for synthesizing bioactive glasses for biomedical applications.