Development of smart metallic orthopedic and dental implants based on biomimetic design

Abstract Orthopedic and dental implant failure continues to be a significant concern due to localized bacterial infections. Although previous studies have attempted to improve implant surfaces by modifying their texture and roughness or coating them with antibiotics to enhance antibacterial properties for implant longevity. However, these approaches have demonstrated limited effectiveness. In this study, we attempted to engineer the titanium (Ti) alloy surface biomimetically at the nanometer scale, inspired by the cicada wing nanostructure using alkaline hydrothermal treatment (AHT). The two modified surfaces of Ti plates were developed using 4 and 8-Hr AHT at 230 o C. We found that the control plates showed a relatively smooth surface, with few artifacts on the surface. The results demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in the contact angle of the treated groups, which increased wettability characteristics. The 8-hour AHT group exhibited the highest wettability and significant increase in roughness 1.50 x 10 -1 ± 0.029 µm (P<0.05), leading to more osteoblast cell attachment, reduced cytotoxicity effects, and enhanced relative survivability. The alkaline phosphatase activity measured in all different groups indicated that the 8-hour AHT group exhibited the highest activity, suggesting that the surface roughness and wettability of the treatment groups may have facilitated cell adhesion and attachment and subsequently increased secretion of extracellular matrix. Overall, the findings indicate that biomimetic nanotextured surfaces created by the AHT process have the potential to be translated as implant coatings or surface nano-texturing to enhance bone regeneration and implant integration.