Bioactive glass (BG) is an ideal bone substitute material. Current research focuses on optimizing its performance by introducing bioactive ions and leveraging its degradability for sustained ion release. However, previous studies have mainly concentrated on single-ion doping, neglecting the impact of multi-ion co-doping on glass structure and dynamic release behavior, thereby failing to effectively enhance performance of BG through multi-ion doping strategies. In this study, Zn 2+ and Mg 2+ were co-doped into BG at different ratios (Zn/Mg: 0%/20%, 5%/15%, 10%/10%, 15%/5%, 20%/0%) using the emulsion method. The effects of the Zn/Mg ratio on the mineralization behavior, osteogenesis, and angiogenesis of BG were systematically investigated. Results indicated that the 5%Zn/15%Mg group could maintain the amorphous state of the BG for an extended period, inhibiting the formation of hydroxyapatite and thus maintaining a higher ion release concentration. Notably, this specific composition demonstrated optimal osteogenic and angiogenic properties. The study demonstrates that optimizing the multi-ion doping ratio can modulate the mineralization process of BG via synergistic effects and enhance its biological functions, providing a new strategy for designing high-performance bone repair materials.
Wuermanbieke et al. (2026) studied this question.