Rough surface of copper-bearing titanium alloy with multifunctions of osteogenic ability and antibacterial activity

Implant-related infection and early bone integration are the main risk factors of implants for long-term service, to overcome these difficulties, SLA-TiCu surface was prepared by sandblasting and large-grits etching (SLA) treatment on a novel antibacterial titanium-copper alloy (TiCu), which is the most prevalent surface treatment with micro/submicron hierarchical structures to titanium-based implants. Effects of SLA-TiCu surface on the adhesion, proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells as well as the antibacterial activity against a common orthopedic pathogen ( Staphylococcus aureus ) were studied. Compared to the following surfaces: sandblasting and large-grits etched pure titanium (SLA-Ti), mechanically ground pure titanium and TiCu alloy (M-Ti and M-TiCu), these results indicated that SLA-TiCu surface obviously enhanced the bone-related gene expressions (alkaline phosphates (ALP), collagen type I (COL I), Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUN × 2), and osteopontin (OPN)). Moreover, SLA-TiCu surface could maintain a sustainable release of Cu 2+ ions and effectively inhibited the viability of bacteria. This study demonstrated that SLA-TiCu surface possessed multifunctional characteristics of improved osteogenic ability and antibacterial activity, making it promising as a novel implant material for hard tissue repairs such as orthopedics and dental implants .