Silver–polysaccharide nanocomposite antimicrobial coatings for methacrylic thermosets

Bisphenol A glycidylmethacrylate (BisGMA)/triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) thermosets are receiving increasing attention as biomaterials for dental and orthopedic applications; for both these fields, bacterial adhesion to the surface of the implant represents a major issue for the outcome of the surgical procedure. Moreover, the biological behaviour of these materials is influenced by their ability to establish proper interactions between their surface and the eukaryotic cells of the surrounding tissues, which is important for good implant integration. The aim of this work was to develop an antimicrobial non-cytotoxic coating for methacrylic thermosets by means of a nanocomposite material based on a lactose-modified chitosan and antibacterial silver nanoparticles. The coating was characterized by UV–vis spectrophotometry, optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In vitro tests were employed for a biological characterization of the material: antimicrobial efficacy tests were carried out with both Gram+ and Gram− strains. Osteoblast-like cell-lines, primary human fibroblasts and adipose-derived stem cells, were used for LDH cytotoxicity assays and Alamar blue cell proliferation assays. Cell morphology and distribution were evaluated by SEM and confocal laser scanning microscopy. In vitro results showed that the nanocomposite coating is effective in killing both bacterial strains and that this material does not exert any significant cytotoxic effect towards tested cells, which are able to firmly attach and proliferate on the surface of the coating. Such biocompatible antimicrobial polymeric films containing silver nanoparticles may have good potential for surface modification of medical devices, especially for prosthetic applications in orthopedics and dentistry.