Titanium modification using bioactive titanate layer with divalent ions and coordinated ciprofloxacin - Assessment of drug distribution using FT-IR imaging.

The paper presents a new method of titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) modification using bioactive titanate layers containing various divalent ions (Ca, Mg, Sr, Zn) and surface-coordinated ciprofloxacin. Due to the coordination of ciprofloxacin (antibiotic) on the surface of the alloy, it has great application potential. In the paper, the influence of a given cation on the effectiveness of drug sorption was determined. The most effective cation was zinc and the least effective was calcium. The distribution of the antibiotic on the alloy surface was determined using FT-IR imaging. The antibiotic was evenly distributed on alloys modified with magnesium, strontium and zinc titanates. In the case of calcium titanate, the analysis could not be performed because the amount of the drug was too small. The release profiles of ciprofloxacin indicate that it can be released for as long as 3 h for strontium and zinc titanates. The biocompatibility of the obtained materials is indicated by the results of the BSA adsorption, and HA growth test. The obtained results confirm that the proposed modification can be used in the modification of titanium implants. The big advantage of this layer is that ciprofloxacin is coordinated on the surface of the material and thus will not be removed during the surgical procedure. The creation of this type of layer may in the future allow for fewer perioperative infections, and thus fewer complications.