Constructing self-adhesive and robust functional films on titanium resistant to mechanical damage during dental implanting

Hypothesis: Osseointegration can be enhanced by introducing bioactive polyelectrolyte-multilayer films on implant surfaces. To guarantee films to function successfully in use, keeping structural integrity during implanting is necessary, which requires films with strong adhesion and cohesion to resist the mechanical damage. Catechol is considered as the origin of amazing adhesion of mussels. We hypothesize that catechol functionalization of polyelectrolytes enables film construction on implants in a non-aggressive way, and helps films resist mechanical damages during implanting.

Experiments: With lipopolysaccharide-amine nanopolymersomes (NPs), catechol-functionalized hyaluronic acid and NPs (cHA, cNPs) as a polycation, polyanion and primer, respectively, catechol-functionalized polyelectrolyte-multilayer films (cPEMs) were constructed on substrates via Layer-by-layer self-assembly. Effects of catechol functionalization on construction, surface properties, assembly mechanisms, structural integrity, mechanical properties and cytotoxicity of cPEMs were studied.

Findings: Self-adhesive cPEMs can be constructed on substrates, which grow exponentially and are driven by coordination, covalent bonding, electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, etc. cPEMs with suitable catechol concentrations can resist mechanical damage to keep structural integrity in simulated clinical implantation, show stronger adhesion and cohesion than non-catechol-functionalized films in nanoscratch and nanoindentation tests, and are non-cytotoxic to MSCs. With excellent drug-loading and cytosolic-delivery capacity of NPs, cPEM is promising in improving osseointegration of implants.