Using laser etched-array periodic structure surface to construct silver loaded titanium implants with combined efficient antibacterial and osteogenic properties

Abstract

The surface of implants is the key part that directly contacts with human tissues and cells. Ag-loaded coatings which used as a common surface modification way are intensively studied for yielding against a wide microbial spectrum with little bacterial resistance. However, the cytotoxicity and osteogenic activity of Ag-loaded coatings on implants are still unclear. Herein, we fabricated Ag-loaded coatings with different periodic array structures on the surface of implants with outstanding osteogenic and antibacterial properties. It was found that the increased etching spacing resulted in a gradually reduced release rate of silver ions. Moreover, the release rate of silver ions can be further retarded by adjusting the content of hydroxyapatite (HA) in barrier layers without changing thickness. In this way, precise controlled release of silver ions was achieved and a unique “quick release in the early stage but less release overall” model has been proposed. This enables fabricated implants have excellent antibacterial performance with little cytotoxicity. The synergistic effect of simple etching morphology and osteoinductive hydroxyapatite makes implants have remarkable osteogenic activity of MC3T3-E1 cells. This work provides a promising alternative for Ag-loaded coatings on implants with both antibacterial and osteogenic properties in clinic.