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Biomaterials and Antibacterial Materials for Bone Biology

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2024) | Viewed by 4683

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Valeria Allizond

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Guest Editor

Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Via Santena 9, 10126 Turin, Italy
Interests: host–bacterial/fungal interactions; antibiotics; granulocyte functional activities; biomaterials; antimicrobial activities; osteointegration; regenerative medicine; Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria; yeasts

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Implantable devices, such as orthopedic biomaterials, can be used in tissue engineering as bone fillers and/or drug delivery platforms, determining a relevant challenge in improving the quality of life of patients. Although a considerable number of new biomaterials and scaffolding systems are engineered and presented in the biomedical field annually, with an enlarged potential for regenerative medicine applications, they still suffer from biomaterial-associated infections (BAIs). Underlying the pathogenesis of BAIs is the fact that devices are foreign bodies, and they can permit microorganisms to attack the implant surface/bulk and necrotic tissues through the expression of adhesion proteins. When microorganisms produce extracellular compounds and biofilm is produced, the interaction between microorganisms and implant becomes irreversible. Another key problem for public health worldwide is the increasing antimicrobial drug resistance of pathogenic bacteria, with the consequence of increasing surgeries, complications, and hospital stays due to treatment failure and poor clinical efficacy. To avoid the direct use of antibiotics, an alternative approach should be the development of biofunctional scaffolds, which can simultaneously promote microbial killing and bone regeneration in order to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of bone tissue engineering. Thus, the addition of metal ions, natural antimicrobial molecules, or other antimicrobial compounds to different biomaterials could confer strong antibacterial properties and anti-adhesive features, improving their capability to counteract BAIs and biofilm formation. Unfortunately, since very close concentrations could be antibacterial and non-harmful for human cells at the same time, it is essential to further explore the antimicrobial compound–dose correlation to evaluate the clinical applicability.

This Special Issue aims to bring together high-quality scientific papers developed by researchers and leading specialists in the following fields: materials scientists, engineers, microbiologists, chemists, physicists, and orthopedic surgeons. The expected contribution will be to enlarge the knowledge to the biomaterials that will result in cytocompatible materials that support bone self-healing when in direct contact with human cells, leading to a suitable interplay between biocompatibility/bioactivity and the antimicrobial effect.

Dr. Valeria Allizond
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

biomaterials
antimicrobial activities
osteointegration
regenerative medicine
Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 4597 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Water-Based Biocoating to Increase the Infection Resistance and Osteoconductivity of Titanium Surfaces

by Chi-An Luo, Yu-Han Chang, Yu-Jui Chang, Han-Chieh Lee and Shiao-Wen Tsai

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(6), 3267; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25063267 - 13 Mar 2024

Viewed by 650

Abstract

As the population ages, the number of patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) continues to increase. Infections after primary arthroplasty are rare but have high rates of morbidity and mortality, as well as enormous financial implications for healthcare systems. Numerous methods including the use of superhydrophobic coatings, the incorporation of antibacterial agents, and the application of topographical treatments have been developed to reduce bacterial attachment to medical devices. However, most of these methods require complex manufacturing processes. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to apply biocoatings to titanium (Ti) surfaces to increase their infection resistance and osteoconductivity via simple processes, without organic reagents. We modified titanium surfaces with a combination of aminomalononitrile (AMN) and an antibiotic-loaded mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) and evaluated both the antibacterial effects of the coating layer and its effect on osteoblast proliferation and differentiation. The properties of the modified surface, such as the hydrophilicity, roughness, and surface morphology, were characterized via contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The cell proliferation reagent WST-1 assay and the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay were used to determine the degrees of adhesion and differentiation, respectively, of the MG-63 osteoblast-like cells on the surface. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated by examining the survival rate and inhibition zone of Escherichia coli (E. coli). The AMN coating layer reduced the water contact angle (WCA) of the titanium surface from 87° ± 2.5° to 53° ± 2.3° and this change was retained even after immersion in deionized water for five weeks, demonstrating the stability of the AMN coating. Compared with nontreated titanium and polydopamine (PDA) coating layers, the AMN surface coating increased MG-63 cell attachment, spreading, and early ALP expression; reduced E. coli adhesion; and increased the percentage of dead bacteria. In addition, the AMN coating served as an adhesion layer for the subsequent deposition of MBG-containing antibiotic nanoparticles. The synergistic effects of the AMN layer and antibiotics released from the MBG resulted in an obvious E. coli inhibition zone that was not observed in the nontreated titanium group. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials and Antibacterial Materials for Bone Biology)

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17 pages, 5249 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Is Silver Addition to Scaffolds Based on Polycaprolactone Blended with Calcium Phosphates Able to Inhibit Candida albicans and Candida auris Adhesion and Biofilm Formation?

by Francesca Menotti, Sara Scutera, Eleonora Maniscalco, Bartolomeo Coppola, Alessandro Bondi, Cristina Costa, Fabio Longo, Narcisa Mandras, Claudia Pagano, Lorenza Cavallo, Giuliana Banche, Mery Malandrino, Paola Palmero and Valeria Allizond

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(5), 2784; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052784 - 28 Feb 2024

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Abstract

Candida spp. periprosthetic joint infections are rare but difficult-to-treat events, with a slow onset, unspecific symptoms or signs, and a significant relapse risk. Treatment with antifungals meets with little success, whereas prosthesis removal improves the outcome. In fact, Candida spp. adhere to orthopedic devices and grow forming biofilms that contribute to the persistence of this infection and relapse, and there is insufficient evidence that the use of antifungals has additional benefits for anti-biofilm activity. To date, studies on the direct antifungal activity of silver against Candida spp. are still scanty. Additionally, polycaprolactone (PCL), either pure or blended with calcium phosphate, could be a good candidate for the design of 3D scaffolds as engineered bone graft substitutes. Thus, the present research aimed to assess the antifungal and anti-biofilm activity of PCL-based constructs by the addition of antimicrobials, for instance, silver, against C. albicans and C. auris. The appearance of an inhibition halo around silver-functionalized PCL scaffolds for both C. albicans and C. auris was revealed, and a significant decrease in both adherent and planktonic yeasts further demonstrated the release of Ag⁺ from the 3D constructs. Due to the combined antifungal, osteoproliferative, and biodegradable properties, PCL-based 3D scaffolds enriched with silver showed good potential for bone tissue engineering and offer a promising strategy as an ideal anti-adhesive and anti-biofilm tool for the reduction in prosthetic joints of infections caused by Candida spp. by using antimicrobial molecule-targeted delivery. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials and Antibacterial Materials for Bone Biology)

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18 pages, 6657 KiB

Open AccessArticle

3D-Printed Antibacterial Scaffolds for the Regeneration of Alveolar Bone in Severe Periodontitis

by Konstantinos Theodoridis, Athanasios S. Arampatzis, Georgia Liasi, Lazaros Tsalikis, Panagiotis Barmpalexis, Dimitrios Christofilos and Andreana N. Assimopoulou

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(23), 16754; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242316754 - 25 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1291

Abstract

Current clinical treatment of periodontitis alleviates periodontal symptoms and helps to keep the disease under control for extended periods. Despite this, a significant destruction of the tooth’s underlying bone tissue often takes place progressively. Herein, we present a two-way therapeutic approach for local delivery of antibacterial agents and bone tissue regeneration, incorporating ~1% w/w tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) into a 3D-printed scaffold composed of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL). Samples were assessed for their morphological, physicochemical, pharmacokinetic, and antibacterial properties. Furthermore, osteoprecursor cells (MC3T3-E1) were employed to evaluate the osteoinductive potential of the drug-loaded scaffolds. Cell proliferation, viability, and differentiation were determined on all cell-seeded scaffolds. At the end of the culture, PCL-TCH scaffolds promoted abundant collagen organic matrix, demonstrating augmented alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and areas of accumulated mineralised bone tissue, despite their belayed cell proliferation. Based on the observed effectiveness of the PCL-TCH scaffolds to inhibit Staphylococcus aureus, these constructs could serve as an alternative bioactive implant that supports bacterial inhibition and favours a 3D microenvironment for bone tissue regeneration in severe periodontitis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials and Antibacterial Materials for Bone Biology)

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Review

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12 pages, 504 KiB

Open AccessReview

Allogenic Bone Graft in Dentistry: A Review of Current Trends and Developments

by Michał Ciszyński, Sebastian Dominiak, Marzena Dominiak, Tomasz Gedrange and Jakub Hadzik

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(23), 16598; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242316598 - 22 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1366

Abstract

In an effort to prepare non-autologous bone graft or biomaterial that would possess characteristics comparable to autologous bone, many different allogenic bone derivatives have been created. Although different existing processing methods aim to achieve the very same results, the specific parameters applied during different stages material preparation can result in significant differences in the material’s mechanical and biological properties The properties, including osteoconductive, osteoinductive, and even osteogenic potential, can differ vastly depending on particular preparation and storage techniques used. Osteogenic properties, which have long been thought to be characteristic to autogenic bone grafts only, now seem to also be achievable in allogenic materials due to the possibility to seed the host’s stem cells on a graft before its implantation. In this article, we aim to review the available literature on allogenic bone and its derivatives as well as the influence of different preparation methods on its performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials and Antibacterial Materials for Bone Biology)

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