In vitro andin vivo investigations into the biocompatibility of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings for orthopedic applications

Abstract

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) shows great promise as a durable, wear- and corrosion-resistant coating for biomedical implants. The effects of DLC coatings on the musculoskeletal system have not been investigated in detail. In this study, DLC coatings were deposited on polystyrene 24-well tissue culture plates by fast-atom bombardment from a hexane precursor. Two osteoblast-like cell lines were cultured on uncoated and DLC-coated plates for periods of up to 72 h. The effects of DLC coatings on cellular metabolism were investigated by measuring the production of three osteoblast-specific marker proteins: alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, and type I collagen. There was no evidence that the presence of the DLC coating had any adverse effect on any of the parameters measured in this study. In a second series of experiments, DLC-coated cobalt-chromium cylinders were implanted in intramuscular locations in rats and in transcortical sites in sheep. Histologic analysis of specimens retrieved 90 days after surgery showed that the DLC-coated specimens were well tolerated in both sites. These data indicate that DLC coatings are biocompatible in vitro and in vivo, and further investigations into their long-term biological and tribological performance are now warranted.

Biological Characteristics of the MG-63 Human Osteosarcoma Cells on Composite Tantalum Carbide/Amorphous Carbon Films

“…Because of its excellent biocompatibility, a-C has been applied to the coatings of hip prostheses, orthopedic implants, vascular stents, and artificial heart valves [13], [20], [21]. A recent study showed that a-C coating on artificial hip joints reduced the wear debris [20].…”

“…Because of its excellent biocompatibility, a-C has been applied to the coatings of hip prostheses, orthopedic implants, vascular stents, and artificial heart valves [13], [20], [21]. A recent study showed that a-C coating on artificial hip joints reduced the wear debris [20]. Several in vitro studies have also demonstrated that a-C coatings improved the adhesion and growth of osteoblasts, reduced platelet attachment, and inhibited activation [22], [23].…”

Nanocarbon-Coated Porous Anodic Alumina for Bionic Devices

“…According to the results of the experiment, AAO showed moderate toxicity, while diamond and DLC-AAO were clearly non-toxic—similar to the control experiment on silica (Figure 5). The biocompatibility of DLC-AAO is comparable to diamond, which is acknowledged as a biocompatible material and is used in a variety of medical applications, such as bionic devices and orthopedic implants [17,21,42]. …”

“…Diamond related materials are not only used for cell modulation (such as osteoblasts [7], fibroblasts [8], cortical neurons [9], and cortical stem cells [10]), but they also show great promise for biosensing platforms [11,12,13,14,15,16]. Diamond related materials including DLC are used in high-end biomedical applications such as implantable orthopaedic devices, dental and cardiovascular implants and bionic devices [2,17,18,19]. DLC coatings in orthopedic applications reduce wear, corrosion, debris formation and thrombogenicity by minimizing the platelet adhesion and activation [3].…”

Characterization of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced Hydroxyapatite Composites Consolidated by Spark Plasma Sintering

“…Several experiments with carbon-based biomaterials have already been done, and the biocompatibility of carbon materials has been proven [16, 17]. In addition, CNTs have recently been proven to be safe and effective as biomaterials by cell experiments [18].…”