Abstract
Postoperative implant infections are strongly associated with bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on metallic surfaces, particularly by Staphylococcus aureus. This study evaluated gentamicin-loaded nanotubular oxide formed on a Ti-24Zr-10Nb-2Sn alloy by anodization at 30 V for 30 min in an organic ethylene glycol/NH4F electrolyte. The nanotubes had a mean length of 9.92 ± 0.60 µm and an inner diameter of 80.67 ± 6.45 nm (approximate aspect ratio 123). The normalized UV response at 262 nm reached 54.5 ± 3.7% of its final recorded value at 40 min. In the viable-count assay, gentamicin-loaded anodized samples yielded 17.5 ± 1.2 colonies/plate compared with 276.9 ± 12.6 colonies/plate for unloaded anodized samples. The loaded surface produced a 49.6 ± 2.5 mm inhibition zone against S. aureus. Together, these findings support gentamicin-loaded nanotubular oxide as a strategy for localized antibacterial activity on Ti-24Zr-10Nb-2Sn.