Enhanced osteoblast adhesion on novel biomimetic nanotube/nanoparticle coating for orthopedic applications

Conventional metal implants such as titanium (Ti) were chosen for orthopedic applications mainly based on their excellent mechanical properties and biological inertness. However, insufficient osseointegration between bone and Ti may frequently occur, which leads to implant loosening even implant failure. Since natural bone is nanometer in dimension, the objective of this study is to create a biomimetic nanostructured coating that can turn conventional inert Ti surfaces into biomimetic active interfaces for improving osseointegration. For this purpose, a biomimetic nanostructured coating based on hydrothermally treated nanocrystalline hydroxyapatites (nHA) and magnetically treated single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were designed. Our in vitro result showed that this nanotube/nanoparticle coating can significantly improve osteoblast (bone forming cell) adhesion, thus hold potential to improve osseointegration and lengthen the lifetime of current orthopedic implants.