Search

Prosthesis-associated infections and aseptic loosening are major causes of implant failure. There is an urgent need to improve the antibacterial ability and osseointegration of orthopedic implants. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are a common type of zinc-containing metal oxide nanoparticles that have been widely studied in many fields, such as food packaging, pollution treatment, and biomedicine. The ZnO-NPs have low toxicity and good biological functions, as well as antibacterial, anticancer, and osteogenic capabilities. Furthermore, ZnO-NPs can be easily obtained through various methods. Among them, green preparation methods can improve the bioactivity of ZnO-NPs and strengthen their potential application in the biological field. This review discusses the antibacterial abilities of ZnO-NPs, including mechanisms and influencing factors. The toxicity and shortcomings of anticancer applications are summarized. Furthermore, osteogenic mechanisms and synergy with other materials are introduced. Green preparation methods are also briefly reviewed.

Bone regeneration remains a great clinical challenge. Two-dimensional materials, especially graphene and its derivative graphene oxide, have been widely used for bone regeneration. Since its discovery in 2014, black phosphorus (BP) nanomaterials including BP nanosheets and BP quantum dots have attracted considerable scientific attention and are considered as prospective graphene substitutes. BP nanomaterials exhibit numerous advantages such as excellent optical and mechanical properties, electrical conductivity, excellent biocompatibility, and good biodegradation, all of which make them particularly attractive in biomedicine. In this review, we comprehensively summarize recent advances of BP-based nanomaterials in bone regeneration. The advantages are reviewed, the different synthesis methods of BP are summarized, and the applications to promote bone regeneration are highlighted. Finally, the existing challenges and perspectives of BP in bone regeneration are briefly discussed.

Prosthesis-associated infections are one of the main causes of implant failure; thus it is important to enhance the long-term antibacterial ability of orthopedic implants. Titanium dioxide nanotubes (TNTs) are biomaterials with good physicochemical properties and biocompatibility. Owing to their inherent antibacterial and drug-loading ability, the antibacterial application of TNTs has received increasing attention. In this review, the process of TNT anodizing fabrication is summarized. Also, the mechanism and the influencing factors of the antibacterial property of bare TNTs are explored. Furthermore, different antibacterial strategies for carrying drugs, as well as modifications to prolong the antibacterial effect and reduce drug-related toxicity are discussed. In addition, antibacterial systems based on TNTs that can automatically respond to infection are introduced. Finally, the currently faced problems are reviewed and potential solutions are proposed. This review provides new insight on TNT fabrication and summarizes the most advanced antibacterial strategies involving TNTs for the enhancement of long-term antibacterial ability and reduction of toxicity.

Ag-incorporated zincosilicate zeolite scaffolds (Ag-3DPZS) for bone tissue engineering are successfully constructed via the extrusion 3D printer. In the printing process, the nano-fibrous attapulgites with suitable rheological properties and good bioactivities are utilized as inorganic binders, which can enhance the compressive strength and Young's modulus of Ag-3DPZS up to 8.38 MPa and 111 MPa, respectively, similar to the mechanical properties of human cancellous bone. Moreover, the obtained Ag-3DPZS possess excellent antibacterial properties and bioactivity, demonstrating that Ag-3DPZS can be applied as antimicrobial materials for bone substitutes.

Prosthesis-associated infections and aseptic loosening are major causes of implant failure. There is an urgent need to improve the antibacterial ability and osseointegration of orthopedic implants. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are a common type of zinc-containing metal oxide nanoparticles that have been widely studied in many fields, such as food packaging, pollution treatment, and biomedicine. The ZnO-NPs have low toxicity and good biological functions, as well as antibacterial, anticancer, and osteogenic capabilities. Furthermore, ZnO-NPs can be easily obtained through various methods. Among them, green preparation methods can improve the bioactivity of ZnO-NPs and strengthen their potential application in the biological field. This review discusses the antibacterial abilities of ZnO-NPs, including mechanisms and influencing factors. The toxicity and shortcomings of anticancer applications are summarized. Furthermore, osteogenic mechanisms and synergy with other materials are introduced. Green preparation methods are also briefly reviewed.

Background The limitation of current biomarker of early stage ovarian cancer and the anatomical location of ovarian (depths of the pelvic) make ovarian cancer difficult to be detected in early stage. Growing evidence shows exosomes as key information transmitters, it carried molecules, such as miRNAs, proteins, lipids, double-stranded DNA have been reported as promising biomarkers in many diseases. However, little is known about the protein and lipid composition of ovarian cancer. Methods Here, we report proteomic and lipidomic analysis of exosomes derived from ovarian cancer cells (SKOV-3) and ovarian surface epithelial cells (HOSEPiC). Results A total of 1433 proteins and 1227 lipid species were identified from two cell line derived exosomes. Several lipid species and proteins significantly differ in SKOV-3 derived exosomes compared to those from HOSEPiC. For example, we noted that ChE and ZyE species were in general more abundant in exosomes from SKOV-3 than from HOSEPiC; Collagen type V alpha 2 chain (COL5A2) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) were significantly higher in SKOV-3 derived exosomes than HOSEpic (p Conclusions Our research indicates the promising role of exosomal proteins and lipids in the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

Bone regeneration remains a great clinical challenge. Two-dimensional materials, especially graphene and its derivative graphene oxide, have been widely used for bone regeneration. Since its discovery in 2014, black phosphorus (BP) nanomaterials including BP nanosheets and BP quantum dots have attracted considerable scientific attention and are considered as prospective graphene substitutes. BP nanomaterials exhibit numerous advantages such as excellent optical and mechanical properties, electrical conductivity, excellent biocompatibility, and good biodegradation, all of which make them particularly attractive in biomedicine. In this review, we comprehensively summarize recent advances of BP-based nanomaterials in bone regeneration. The advantages are reviewed, the different synthesis methods of BP are summarized, and the applications to promote bone regeneration are highlighted. Finally, the existing challenges and perspectives of BP in bone regeneration are briefly discussed.

To prolong the service lifetime of artificial joint, it is imperative to improve mechanical and tribological properties of the prosthetic materials, which could be achieved by adding a surface protective layer. The TiCuN solid-solution coating is highlighted in this work for this application. Higher hardness, lower friction coefficient, and enhanced wear resistance are demonstrated with TiCuN solid-solution coating with 5.2 at% Cu dopant, comparing to pure TiN and TiN/Cu nano-composite coatings. In addition, the live/dead staining and morphology of cells cultured on the surface of TiCuN solid-solution coating point out that the TiCuN coating exhibits excellent biocompatibility, which could be potentially applied as the artificial joint protective coating in human body.

Infection, as a common postoperative complication of orthopedic surgery, is the main reason leading to implant failure. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are considered as a promising antibacterial agent and always used to modify orthopedic implants to prevent infection. To optimize the implants in a reasonable manner, it is critical for us to know the specific antibacterial mechanism, which is still unclear. In this review, we analyzed the potential antibacterial mechanisms of AgNPs, and the influences of AgNPs on osteogenic-related cells, including cellular adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation, were also discussed. In addition, methods to enhance biocompatibility of AgNPs as well as advanced implants modifications technologies were also summarized.

Ti-6Al-4V (TC4) as a modern orthopedic implant material has some disadvantages such as corrosion in body fluids and bacterial infection, which limit its clinical application. In this work, functional coatings were successfully prepared on TC4 substrate by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) and electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technologies. The prepared composite coating mainly contains CuO and Cu2O, at the same time it shows good adhesion (66.5 N) and significant corrosion resistance. Compared with MAO coating, EPD can improve the micro/nano morphology of the surface and endow the coating with biocompatibility. In addition, after cultured with Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus for 24 h in vitro, the bactericidal efficiency of coating reached more than 98%. These results suggest that composite coating can improve cell proliferation, promote biocompatibility, providing a new perspective for enhancing the expression of biological activity.

A good orthopedic load-bearing implant should have both excellent mechanical properties and biological activity. In order to improve the biological activity of Ti6Al4V-based implants, tantalum nitride (TaN) films were deposited on the surface of Ti6Al4V alloy and Si(100) substrates by magnetron sputtering. Characterized by XRD and XPS, it was proved that the uniform cubic NaCl-structure TaN films were successfully prepared on the Ti6Al4V alloy substrate. The TaN film showed higher hardness (19.7 GPa) and elastic modulus (254.4 GPa) compared with HA coatings and Ti6Al4V alloys. We evaluated cytocompatibility and osteogenesis activity of the TaN coatings using rabbit bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) cultured on the coated and uncoated samples. The biocompatibility of the films and their effect on cell proliferation were examined by live/dead cell staining and CCK-8 assay. SEM and cytoskeleton fluorescent staining were used to observe the cell adhesion and morphology on different samples. The effect of the film on osteoblastic activity was assessed by calcium nodule staining and alkaline phosphatase quantitative assays. We demonstrate that TaN film can enhance the adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation of BMSCs. These results suggest that TaN film prepared by magnetron sputtering has great potential to be applied in orthopedics.

A proper biological microenvironment conducive to tissue repair and regeneration, while the bioimplant interface directly affects the local microenvironment. In this study, to improve the biological microenvironment, a nanosized tantalum boride (Ta-B) was coated on a titanium alloy substrate (Ti6Al4V, TC4) using magnetron cosputtering. The sample surface was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). To investigate the effects of tantalum boride coating on the microenvironment, rabbit bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), and RAW 264.7 cells were respectively seeded on the sample surface and relevant experiments were conducted in vitro. The pure tantalum coating (Ta) and naked TC4 were prepared as controls. Our results showed that the Ta-B coating enhanced cell proliferation and adhesion and inhibited the inflammatory response. Findings of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, alizarin red staining and real-time PCR for osteoblastic gene expression indicated that Ta-B and Ta coating improve the osteogenesis, in which Ta-B coating showed higher osteogenesis than Ta coating. Thus, this study suggests that Ta-B coating with excellent biocompatibility could have new applications for wound healing in bone tissue engineering.

Prosthesis-associated infections are one of the main causes of implant failure; thus it is important to enhance the long-term antibacterial ability of orthopedic implants. Titanium dioxide nanotubes (TNTs) are biomaterials with good physicochemical properties and biocompatibility. Owing to their inherent antibacterial and drug-loading ability, the antibacterial application of TNTs has received increasing attention. In this review, the process of TNT anodizing fabrication is summarized. Also, the mechanism and the influencing factors of the antibacterial property of bare TNTs are explored. Furthermore, different antibacterial strategies for carrying drugs, as well as modifications to prolong the antibacterial effect and reduce drug-related toxicity are discussed. In addition, antibacterial systems based on TNTs that can automatically respond to infection are introduced. Finally, the currently faced problems are reviewed and potential solutions are proposed. This review provides new insight on TNT fabrication and summarizes the most advanced antibacterial strategies involving TNTs for the enhancement of long-term antibacterial ability and reduction of toxicity.

Functionalization of porous metals with antibacterial coatings is hotly pursued in recent decade. Here we fabricated a highly porous stainless steel component by selective laser melting and then coated with silver incorporated zeolite by in situ hydrothermal crystallization method. The morphology of their surface was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The inhibition of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were identified by bacterial viability studies after 24 h of incubation. More importantly, the obtained coatings show better osteointegration by spreading bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) after cultured with different scaffold extract solutions for 1, 3, and 5 days. These results suggest that silver incorporated zeolite coatings on 3D printed porous stainless steels exhibit better antibacterial activity and biocompatibility, showing potential application in the field of medical implant materials.

Osteoimmunomodulation (OIM) has revealed an important role for immune cells in regulating osseointegration. Biomaterials for OIM have contributed to the evaluation of orthopedic biomaterials and have been used to demonstrate a strong correlation between OIM and bone healing. Evaluation of OIM biomaterials is based on the behavior of immune cells, and has evolved from classic macrophage phenotype identification to evaluation of key immune-related signaling pathways, improving understanding of the mechanism of action of OIM biomaterials. TLR4-NF-κB, a classic implant-related innate immune recognition and immunomodulation signaling pathway, has attracted widespread attention. Biomaterials have increasingly been designed and evaluated in the context of this pathway and a strong correlation with bone healing suggests it contributes to the mechanism of action of OIM biomaterials. This review summarizes empirical and precise strategies for designing OIM biomaterials that act via the TLR4-NF-κB pathway, and attempts to stimulate new ideas for the design of OIM biomaterials based on the interaction of materials with signaling mechanisms.

As an efficient method for the surface modification of artificial joints, the traditional diamond-like carbon (DLC) film suffers from wear debris accumulation and lubrication failure in vivo and is difficult to meet the extreme requirement for long-service, which suggests that the continuous optimization aimed at DLC long-term stability is needed. Here, we design and successfully prepare a new-type fluorinated fullerene-like carbon (F-FLC) film by means of simultaneous fluorine incorporation and fullerene-like structure construction, and finally achieve the dual optimization of mechanical and tribological properties. As a substitute for the traditional DLC film, the F-FLC film owns the lowest friction coefficient (0.032) and wear rate (1.58 × 10−16 m3/Nm) in the complicated simulated body fluid, due to the suitable fluorine incorporation and the promotion of mechanical properties which derives from the special microstructure evolution. In addition, the subsequent cyto-compatibility evaluation demonstrates that the F-FLC film with free radicals could preserve the stability and bioactivity of proteins, and then enhance the cell spreading and proliferation. In the longer view, combined with the anti-corrosion and anti-osteoporosis effects of fluorine, F-FLC film has a great potential for application in the next generation of joint implants.