Multifunctional nanocoating for enhanced titanium implant osseointegration

Preventing bacterial infection and promoting osseointegration are essential for the long-term success of titanium (Ti) implants. In this study, we developed a multifunctional nanocoating on Ti mini-implants to simultaneously address these challenges. The nanocoating consists of self-assembled antimicrobial peptides GL13K and silver nanoparticles, referred to as Ag-GL. Our results showed that the Ag-GL coating did not alter the surface morphology of the mini-implants. Ag-GL coated mini-implants demonstrated a two orders of magnitude reduction in colony-forming unit (CFU) values compared to the noncoated eTi group, resulting in minimal inflammation and no apparent bone destruction in a bacterial infection in vivo model. When evaluating osseointegration properties, micro-CT analysis, histomorphometric analysis, and pull-out tests revealed that the Ag-GL coating significantly enhanced osseointegration and promoted new bone formation in vivo.

Automated summary

A multifunctional nanocoating has been developed for titanium mini-implants to prevent bacterial infection and promote osseointegration. The nanocoating, consisting of antimicrobial peptides GL13K and silver nanoparticles (Ag-GL), showed excellent antibacterial properties without altering the surface morphology of the mini-implants. In vivo experiments demonstrated that the Ag-GL coating significantly enhanced osseointegration and new bone formation.