Applied Surface Science, Vol.314, 642-654, 2014
Immobilisation of an antibacterial drug to Ti6Al4V components fabricated using selective laser melting
Bacterial infections from biomedical implants and surgical devices are a major problem in orthopaedic, dental and vascular surgery. Although the sources of contaminations that lead to bacterial infections are known, it is not possible to control or avoid such infections completely. In this study, an approach to immobilise Ciprofloxacin (an antibacterial drug) to phosphonic acid based self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) adsorbed on a selectively laser melted (SLM) Ti6Al4V structure, has been presented. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and static water contact angle measurements confirmed the attachment of SAMs and the drug. Results showed that Ciprofioxacin (R) is highly stable under the oxidative conditions used in this study. In-vitro stability was estimated by immersing the Ciprofioxacin (R) immobilised substrates in 10 mM of Tris-HCI buffer (pH-7.4) for 42 days. The Tris-HCI buffer was analysed using UV-vis spectrophotometry at 7, 14, 28 and 42 day time intervals to determine the release of the immobilised drug. The drug was observed to release in a sustained manner. 50% of the drug was released after 4 weeks with approximately 40% of the drug remaining after 6 weeks. Antibacterial susceptibility tests revealed that the immobilised drug was therapeutically active upon its release. This study demonstrates the potential to use self-assembled monolayers to modify SLM fabricated surfaces with therapeutics. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Keywords:Selective laser melting;Self-assembled monolayers;Antibacterial;Ciprofloxacie (R);In-vitro test