Design and Evaluation of Bioactive Glass/Polymer Hybrid Scaffolds Loaded with Methotrexate for Bone Tissue Engineering

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo 11884, Egypt

2 Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo 11884, Egypt.

3 Spectroscopy Department, Physics Research Division, National Research Centre, 33 El Bohouth St., Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt.

10.21608/ejbbe.2025.422296.1086

Abstract

This study reports the fabrication and evaluation of a novel hybrid scaffold developed as a potential platform for localized and sustained drug delivery, to be confirmed in future release studies. The scaffold integrates bioactive glass with a polymeric network composed of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), and sodium alginate (SA). Methotrexate (MTX) was incorporated into the PVA–CNC–SA matrix reinforced with a fixed amount (0.4 g) of bioactive glass (65% SiO₂–30% CaO–5% P₂O₅) using the freeze-drying technique, resulting in a single optimized formulation with a highly porous and bioactive architecture suitable for bone tissue engineering. The developed scaffold was comprehensively characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM, and EDXA analyses. Its bioactivity was confirmed through immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF), where the formation of a hydroxyapatite layer indicated strong biological reactivity. Although quantitative drug-release experiments were not performed at this stage, the system was conceptually designed to achieve controlled methotrexate delivery. Overall, the findings demonstrate the potential of the optimized freeze-dried hybrid scaffold as a multifunctional platform capable of supporting bone regeneration while enabling localized chemotherapy applications.

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