Abstract
Objectives To investigate the physical properties of the modified microgroove (MG) and antibacterial nanocoated surfaces. In addition, the biological interactions of the modified surfaces with human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) and the antibacterial activity of the surfaces against Porphyromonas gingivalis were studied. Methods The titanium nitride (TiN) and silver (Ag) coatings were deposited onto the smooth and MG surfaces using magnetron sputtering. A smooth titanium surface (Ti-S) was used as the control. The physicochemical properties including surface morphology, roughness, and hydrophilicity were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and an optical contact angle analyzer. The “contact guidance” morphology was assessed using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Cell proliferation was analyzed using the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. The expression level of the main focal adhesion-related structural protein vinculin was compared using quantitative reverse transcription PCR and Western blotting. The antibacterial activity against P. gingivalis was evaluated using the LIVE/DEAD BacLight™ Bacterial Viability Kit. Results The Ag and TiN antibacterial nanocoatings were successfully deposited onto the smooth and MG surfaces using magnetron sputtering technology. TiN coating on a grooved surface (TiN-MG) resulted in less nanoroughness and greater surface hydrophilicity than Ag coating on a smooth surface (Ag-S), which was more hydrophobic. Cell proliferation and expression of vinculin were higher on the TiN-MG surface than on the Ag-coated surfaces. Ag-coated surfaces showed the strongest antibacterial activity, followed by TiN-coated surfaces. Conclusion Nano-Ag coating resulted in good antimicrobial activity; however, the biocompatibility was questionable. TiN nanocoating on an MG surface showed antibacterial properties with an optimal biocompatibility and maintained the “contact guidance” effects for HGFs.
Highlights
Dental implants are commonly used for the replacement of lost teeth [1]
Nanotopographic analysis with Atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed that the titanium nitride (TiN) surface coating had small and compact particles compared to the Ag surface coating, which showed larger and sparser particles (Figure 2)
The Ti-MG and Ag coating on the MG surface (Ag-MG) surfaces had intermediate expression levels that were greater than the titanium surface (Ti-S) and Ag-S surfaces. These findings suggested that the significance of microtopography in terms of vinculin expression as the MG surfaces, along with the coating, yielded higher vinculin expression compared to smooth surfaces
Summary
The surface properties of implant materials are important due to the formation of a direct interface with the host alveolar bone as well as with the connective and epithelial tissues. A part of the dental implant surface (transmucosal part) is exposed to the oral cavity and is subject to interactions with saliva and bacterial plaque adhesion [2]. Conventional implants have been reported to encourage and accumulate a considerable amount of bacterial plaque on the surface [3, 4]. Other techniques such as argon plasma treatment are aimed at reducing contamination from peri-implant bacteria [5], highlighting the need for surface modifications. Surface modification by adding microgrooves (MGs; 60 μm wide and 10 μm deep) increased the expression of connective glycoproteins and cell proliferation in the transmucosal part
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