J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2021, Vol. 69: 188-199.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2020.08.021

• Research Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Rapid inactivation of multidrug-resistant bacteria and enhancement of osteoinduction via titania nanotubes grafted with polyguanidines

Wei Fenga,b, Nian Liua,b, Lingling Gaoa,b, Qian Zhoub, Luofeng Yua,b, Xiaoting Yeb, Jingjing Huob, Xiao Huanga,b, Peng Lia,b,c,*(), Wei Huanga,b   

  1. a Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics (KLOFE) and Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM), Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials (SICAM), Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China
    b Frontiers Science Center for Flexible Electronics (FSCFE), Xi’an Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE) & Xi’an Institute of Biomedical Materials and Engineering (IBME), Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), Xi’an 710072, China
    c The State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
  • Received:2020-05-20 Revised:2020-06-15 Accepted:2020-06-23 Published:2021-04-10 Online:2021-05-15
  • Contact: Peng Li
  • About author:*Frontiers Science Center for Flexible Electronics (FSCFE), Xi’an Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE) & Xi’an Institute of Biomedical Materials and Engineering (IBME), Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), Xi’an 710072, China E-mail address: iampli@nwpu.edu.cn (P. Li).

Abstract:

The rapid in situ inhibition of bacterial contamination and subsequent infection without inducing drug resistance is highly vital for the successful implantation and long-term service of titanium (Ti)-based orthopedic implants. However, the instability and potential cytotoxicity of current coatings have deterred their clinical practice. In this study, anodic oxidized titania nanotubes (TNT) were modified with antibacterial polyhexamethylene guanidine (PG) with the assistance of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid. Interestingly, the prepared TNT-PG coating exhibited superior in vitro antibacterial activity than flat Ti-PG coating and effectively killed typical pathogens such as Escherichia coli and superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with above 4-log reduction (> 99.99 % killed) in only 5 min. TNT-PG coating also exerted excellent hemocompatibility with red blood cells and nontoxicity toward mouse pre-osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1) in 1 week of coculture. In addition, the efficient in vivo anti-infective property of this coating was observed in a rat subcutaneous infection model. More importantly, TNT-PG coating improved the expression of alkaline phosphatase and enhanced the extracellular matrix mineralization of pre-osteoblasts, denoting its osteoinductive capacity. This versatile TNT-PG coating with excellent antibacterial activity and biocompatibility could be a promising candidate for advanced orthopedic implant applications.

Key words: Biomaterial-associated infection, Fast sterilization, Titania nanotubes, Cationic antimicrobial polymer, Bioactive coating