Antimicrobial performance of mesoporous titania thin films: role of pore size, hydrophobicity, and antibiotic release

Abstract

Saba Atefyekta,1 Batur Ercan,2,3 Johan Karlsson,1 Erik Taylor,2 Stanley Chung,2 Thomas J Webster,1,4 Martin Andersson1 1Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden; 2Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA; 3Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey; 4Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Abstract: Implant-associated infections are undesirable complications that might arise after implant surgery. If the infection is not prevented, it can lead to tremendous cost, trauma, and even life threatening conditions for the patient. Development of an implant coating loaded with antimicrobial substances would be an effective way to improve the success rate of implants. In this study, the in vitro efficacy of mesoporous titania thin films used as a novel antimicrobial release coating was evaluated. Mesoporous titania thin films with pore diameters of 4, 6, and 7 nm were synthesized using the evaporation-induced self-assembly method. The films were characterized and loaded with antimicrobial agents, including vancomycin, gentamicin, and daptomycin. Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were used to evaluate their effectiveness toward inhibiting bacterial colonization. Drug loading and delivery were studied using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, which showed successful loading and release of the antibiotics from the surfaces. Results from counting bacterial colony-forming units showed reduced bacterial adhesion on the drug-loaded films. Interestingly, the presence of the pores alone had a desired effect on bacterial colonization, which can be attributed to the documented nanotopographical effect. In summary, this study provides significant promise for the use of mesoporous titania thin films for reducing implant infections. Keywords: mesoporous titania, antibacterial, drug delivery, implant coating

Keywords

• Mesoporous titania
• antibacterial
• drug delivery
• implant coating