Bacteriostatic coatings formed on titanium dental implants for veterinary applications

Titanium (Ti) dental implants were anodized in calcium hypophosphite solution to obtain a porous, bioactive layer. The anodized implant surface was covered by a poly(sebacic anhydride) (PSBA) layer with amoxicillin. SEM analysis showed an irregular distribution of the antibiotic on the surface. However, confocal microscopy images revealed the formation of a uniform polymer layer. The thickness of the oxide and polymer layers was similar, between 6 and 9 μm. PSBA is an easy, hydrolysable polymer. After the polymer with amoxicillin was immersed in phosphate buffered solution (PBS) for 1 h, >53 % of hydrolysis products were detected by 1H NMR spectroscopy. After 9 days of polymer immersion, the hydrolysis product content was >67 %. Drug release was analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). After 1 h of implant immersion in PBS an average of 6.0 μg/mL of amoxicillin was released. Importantly, the released concentration of amoxicillin was enough to inhibit S. aureus and S. epidermidis growth, minimal inhibitory concentration (inhibition zones between 27 mm and 30 mm) and decrease bacteria adhesion to the implant surface were achieved. This paper presents the cytocompatibility results of PSBA, amoxicillin, and extracts collected from the implants exposed to mouse fibroblast L929 and osteoblast-like MG-63 cells. PSBA concentrations up to 1 % did not significantly affect cell viability. Amoxicillin concentrations up to 150 μL/mL were cytocompatible with both cell lines. Cell viability was >70 % for both cell lines after 24 h of treatment with extracts from modified implants that were immersed in PBS for 72 h prior to viability experiments. This work presents a simple method to obtain a hybrid, bacteriostatic and biocompatible layer on long-term implant surfaces. These techniques may find application in the surface treatment of various Ti implants with a variety of shapes and sizes for veterinary applications.