Development and assessment of a magnesium-infused hollow bioactive glass nanocomposite loaded with silk fibroin for controlled drug delivery

Bioactive glasses and similar biomaterials have gained increasing popularity in tissue engineering (TE) due to their unique properties and diverse applications. To develop multifunctional scaffolds that combine mechanical strength, biodegradability, bioactivity, surface reactivity, and drug delivery capabilities, composite scaffolds have been extensively studied. In this research, vancomycin hydrochloride (VAN) was employed as a model drug. We synthesized hollow bioactive glass doped with magnesium (Mg-HBG) using a sol–gel method, with an initial composition of 80SiO₂–5 P₂O₅–10CaO–5MgO. Silk fibroin (SF), obtained from Bombyx mori, was used to modify the nanoparticles, forming SF/Mg-HBG composites via electrospinning, owing to SF’s biocompatibility, cost-effectiveness, controlled degradation, and bioactivity. The fabricated scaffold exhibited a maximum tensile strength of 6.4 MPa, elongation at break of 8.0 %, degradation rate of 48 %, porosity of 82.3 %, and a water contact angle of 60.04° after 4 s, indicating good bioactivity. The process of producing SF/Mg-HBG scaffolds is straightforward, cost-effective, and demonstrates excellent drug loading and release behavior suitable for bone repair applications • Introducing a nanocomposite scaffold with Mg-HBG and silk fibroin for enhanced tissue engineering. • Magnesium improves strength, degradation, and bioactivity, aiding drug delivery and bone regeneration. • Fabricated via electrospinning; simple, cost-effective, produces porous scaffolds with good drug loading. • In vitro tests show apatite formation, indicating potential for bone tissue regeneration. • Future work should include in vivo studies to test biocompatibility and performance in biological environments.