Bioactive glass-based core-shell nanoparticles: Multifunctional platforms for controlled drug release and biomedical applications

Core-shell engineered nanoparticles have emerged as multifunctional platforms for biomedical applications by enabling precise spatial control over their structure, controlled release, and interaction with biological tissues. Among the core materials, bioactive glasses offer unique advantages over conventional silica due to their intrinsic bioactivity and the release of therapeutic ions. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of core-shell nanostructures that use bioactive glass as the core, and shells composed of a wide range of inorganic and polymeric materials, engineered to control their release capabilities and biological performance. The composition and synthesis strategies of bioactive glass nanoparticles are discussed. The types of shell materials are also evaluated, highlighting their physicochemical roles in modulating drug diffusion, stability, degradation, and biological targeting. Inorganic, natural, and synthetic polymeric shells are discussed, focusing on how they can be used to tailor the properties of the nanoparticles. Key challenges related to in vivo performance assays, immunological responses, degradation behavior, and translational barriers, outlining future directions for clinical implementation, are also explored. By integrating the structural functionalities of bioactive glasses with advanced surface engineering, the core-shell structures discussed in this review represent a versatile, highly tunable and customizable strategy for next-generation biomedical therapies.