Nik Ahmad Nizam Nik Malek, Nor Suriani Sani, Ahmad Taufiq
Silica is an essential element that aids in the initial calcification and collagen formation of cells and tissues, making it crucial for cell growth. The positive effect of silica on cell growth has led researchers to become increasingly interested in working on silica nanocomposite as an advanced biomaterial due to its biocompatibility and excellent stability in the human body. Silica nanocomposites, such as apatite-incorporated silica aerogels, are promising candidates for biomaterials in hard (e.g. bone) and soft (e.g. skin) tissues applications because of their biocompatibility and excellent stability within the human body. The sol-gel technique can prepare the silica nanocomposite, incorporating active particles within the silica networks to enhance its bioactivity. The crucial analysis of silica nanocomposites as biomaterials is their ability to adhere to and proliferate cells. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the in vitro cell adhesion and proliferation of normal human osteoblast and dermal fibroblast cells on silica nanocomposites. The analysis includes the morphology of silica nanocomposite surfaces after contact with cells, quantitative elemental analysis, cell viability on different days, and phosphate and silicic acid loss in the media. This chapter is valuable for researchers working on silica nanocomposites as bioactive materials in regenerative medicine. © 2025 Naznin Sultana, Sanchita Bandyopadhyay-Ghosh and Chin Fhong Soon.
Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, 81310, Malaysia; Centre for Sustainable Nanomaterials (CSNano), Ibnu Sina Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research (ISI-ISIR), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM, Johor, 81310, Malaysia; Department of Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Skudai, Johor, 81310, Malaysia; Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia
