Antibacterial hydroxyapatite/chitosan complex coatings with superior osteoblastic cell response

Chitosan was widely used as an antibacterial component. While most antibacterial materials also possess cytotoxicities, we hypothesize that selectively destruction of bacterial cells can be achieved by controlling the material parameters of chitosan, due to its intrinsic antibacterial mechanism. In this study, porous hydroxyapatite coatings prepared by the liquid precursor plasma spraying process were used for loading the chitosan with different concentrations: 10, 20, 50, and 100 g/L, respectively. The antibacterial properties and osteoblastic cell response of the hydroxyapatite/chitosan complex coatings were studied as a function of chitosan concentration. The results indicated that the antimicrobial activity was directly proportional to the chitosan concentration, while loading of chitosan with lower concentrations (10 and 20 g/L) was even beneficial to the proliferation of osteoblastic cells. Overall, our study demonstrated that combined antibacterial activity and superior osteoblast cell response can be achieved by using hydroxyapatite/chitosan complex coatings, which have great potential in bone replacement and regeneration applications.