Abstract
The present study is focused on the synthesis, characterization and antifungal evaluation of zinc-doped hydroxyapatite (Zn:HAp) coatings. The Zn:HAp coatings were deposited on a pure Si (Zn:HAp_Si) and Ti (Zn:HAp_Ti) substrate by a sol-gel dip coating method using a zinc-doped hydroxyapatite nanogel. The nature of the crystal phase was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The crystalline phase of the prepared Zn:HAp composite was assigned to hexagonal hydroxyapatite in the P63/m space group. The colloidal properties of the resulting Zn:HAp (xZn = 0.1) nanogel were analyzed by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and zeta potential. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the morphology of the zinc-doped hydroxyapatite (Zn:HAp) nanogel composite and Zn:HAp coatings. The elements Ca, P, O and Zn were found in the Zn:HAp composite. According to the EDX results, the degree of Zn substitution in the structure of Zn:HAp composite was 1.67 wt%. Moreover, the antifungal activity of Zn:HAp_Si and Zn:HAp_Ti against Candida albicans (C. albicans) was evaluated. A decrease in the number of surviving cells was not observed under dark conditions, whereas under daylight and UV light illumination a major decrease in the number of surviving cells was observed.
Highlights
The development of modern medicine and bioengineering has created the premises for obtaining new and enhanced materials that could improve the quality of life of patients suffering from various diseases that lead to painful surgeries
The results presented in this study showed that the C. albicans cell survival was affected after exposure to UV light and daylight
We found that the survival ratio of C. albicans on the zinc-doped hydroxyapatite (Zn):HAp coating kept in the dark decreased to an insignificant level after 120 min (Figure 5A)
Summary
The development of modern medicine and bioengineering has created the premises for obtaining new and enhanced materials that could improve the quality of life of patients suffering from various diseases that lead to painful surgeries. One of the most alarming complication of orthopedic surgeries is the development of implant-associated infections [1] These infections occur due to bacteria which adhere to the implant and colonize either the surface of the implant, or the tissue surrounding the surface of the implant [1,2,3]. According to recent studies [6,7,8,9], the number of surgeries necessary due to mechanical loosening of total hip replacements increases every year [8,9] In this context, researchers and medics alike have come to the conclusion that a method for improving implants
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