Osseointegration of titanium with an antimicrobial nanostructured noble metal coating.

Unlabelled: Nanometer scale surface features on implants and prostheses can potentially be used to enhance osseointegration and may also add further functionalities, such as infection resistance, to the implant. In this study, a nanostructured noble metal coating consisting of palladium, gold and silver, never previously used in bone applications, was applied to machined titanium screws to evaluate osseointegration after 6 and 12 weeks in rabbit tibiae and femurs. Infection resistance was confirmed by in vitro adhesion test.

Immune complement activation is attenuated by surface nanotopography.

The immune complement (IC) is a cell-free protein cascade system, and the first part of the innate immune system to recognize foreign objects that enter the body. Elevated activation of the system from, for example, biomaterials or medical devices can result in both local and systemic adverse effects and eventually loss of function or rejection of the biomaterial. Here, the researchers have studied the effect of surface nanotopography on the activation of the IC system.

Blood interactions with noble metals: coagulation and immune complement activation.

Noble metals are interesting biomaterials for a number of reasons, e.g., their chemical inertness and relative mechanical softness, silver's long known antimicrobial properties, and the low allergenic response shown by gold.

In vivo evaluation of noble metal coatings.

A nanotopographic noble metal (Ag, Au, Pd) coating has been applied on commercial urinary catheters and used in more than 80,000 patients, with good clinical results. We have previously evaluated the biocompatibility of different variations of this coating, showing high cellular viability and function in vitro. However, the reasons for good clinical and preclinical behavior are not known.