Multifunctional Properties of Quercitrin-Coated Porous Ti-6Al-4V Implants for Orthopaedic Applications Assessed In Vitro

Abstract

(1) One strategy to improve the outcome of orthopedic implants is to use porous implants with the addition of a coating with an antibacterial biomolecule. In this study, we aimed to produce and test the biocompatibility, the osteopromotive (both under normal conditions and under a bacterial challenge with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)) and antibacterial activities of a porous Ti-6Al-4V implant coated with the flavonoid quercitrin in vitro. (2) Porous Ti-6Al-4V implants were produced by 3D printing and further functionalized with quercitrin by wet chemistry. Implants were characterized in terms of porosity and mechanical testing, and the coating with quercitrin by fluorescence staining. Implant biocompatibility and bioactivity was tested using MC3T3-E1 preosteoblasts by analyzing cytotoxicity, cell adhesion, osteocalcin production, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity under control and under bacterial challenging conditions using lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Finally, the antibacterial properties of the implants were studied using Staphylococcus epidermidis by measuring bacterial viability and adhesion. (3) Porous implants showed pore size of about 500 µm and a porosity of 52%. The coating was homogeneous over all the 3D surface and did not alter the mechanical properties of the Young modulus. Quercitrin-coated implants showed higher biocompatibility, cell adhesion, and osteocalcin production compared with control implants. Moreover, higher ALP activity was observed for the quercitrin group under both normal and bacterial challenging conditions. Finally, S. epidermidis live/dead ratio and adhesion after 4 h of incubation was lower on quercitrin implants compared with the control. (4) Quercitrin-functionalized porous Ti-6Al-4V implants present a great potential as an orthopedic porous implant that decreases bacterial adhesion and viability while promoting bone cell growth and differentiation.

Nanostructured Titanium for Improved Endothelial Biocompatibility and Reduced Platelet Adhesion in Stent Applications

“…The use of a coating that is covalently linked to the surface, as demonstrated by FTIR spectroscopy and XPS in previous studies [18,19], could provide an alternative to the use of a polymer, which is considered as one of the leading causes of late stent thrombosis in DES [8,9]. Similar to previous reports [19,35], QR coated surfaces were also biocompatible on HUVEC cells, and remarkably showed higher metabolic activity in all evaluated time points, similar to other studies with mesenchymal stem cells [18,19]. This result is promising since a rapid endothelialization of the stent surface is very important in order to avoid thrombosis, a major complication of DES.…”

“…Most flavonoids are considered nontoxic and are present in plant-derived foods and present anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic properties [37]. In previous studies, we have demonstrated that quercitrin coating presents good biocompatibility, osteopromotive, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activity [18,19,35,36]. Here, we proved that quercitrin could also be applied as a coating for bare metal stents, and combined with the nanostructured surface, to overcome the main drawbacks of DES.…”

“…In regard to the second strategy with the addition of a quercitrin coating, we have previously fully characterized the coating and demonstrated that the flavonoid quercitrin could be an excellent choice for implant coating due to its multifunctional properties [18,19,35,36]. Most flavonoids are considered nontoxic and are present in plant-derived foods and present anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic properties [37].…”

Trends in Managing Cardiac and Orthopaedic Device-Associated Infections by Using Therapeutic Biomaterials

“…Hierarchical surface nano-topography and chemistry finely combined ensure outstanding anti-repellent properties based on (super-)hydrophobic features. Quercitrin-functionalized via wet chemistry of porous structure of Ti6Al4V orthopaedic implants allowed promoting osseointegration and preventing infection by decreasing bacterial adhesion by 75% [ 72 ]. Nanodiamond coating (at 0.075, 0.75, and 7.5% w / v ) onto additively manufactured selective laser melted Ti substrates synergistically promoted osseointegration and inhibit S. aureus adhesion by 88%, as shown in Figure 3 [ 73 ].…”

Advances and trends of hydrogel therapy platform in localized tumor treatment: A review

“…Moreover, biomolecules also play an essential role in tissue repair process. Such as 5‐HMF (hydroxymethylfurfural), a bioreactor for proliferation and migration of human skin fibroblasts (HSF), which favored the wound healing 198 process, and quercitrin also demonstrated wide application including antibacterial and promoting bone cell proliferation 199 . Noteworthily, biomimetic elements‐based hydrogel will be more attractive.…”