Combining Mesoporous Bioactive Glass Nanoparticles (MBGNs) with Essential Oils to Tackle Bacterial Infection and Oxidative Stress for Bone Regeneration Applications

Bacterial infectious diseases remain one of the significant challenges in the field of bone regeneration applications. Despite the development of new antibiotics, their improper administration has led to the development of multiresistant bacterial strains. In this study, we proposed a novel approach to tackle this problem by loading clove oil (CLV), a natural antibacterial compound, into amino-functionalized mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (MBGNs). The scanning electron microscopy images (SEM) revealed that amino-functionalization and CLV loading did not affect the shape and size of the MBGNs. The successful grafting of the amino groups on the MBGNs' surface and the presence of CLV in the material were confirmed by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and zeta potential measurements. The increased CLV concentration led to a higher loading capacity, encapsulation efficiency, and antioxidant activity. The <i>in vitro</i> CLV release profile exhibited an initial burst release, followed by a controlled release over 14 days. The loading of CLV into MBGNs led to a stronger antibacterial effect against <i>E. coli</i> and <i>S. aureus</i>, while MG-63 osteoblast-like cell viability was enhanced with no morphological changes compared to the control group. In conclusion, the CLV-MBGNs nanocarriers showed promising properties <i>in vitro</i> as novel drug delivery systems, exploiting essential oils for treating bone infections and oxidative stress.