Micro, nano and gallium: Bioactive and bactericidal gallium-eluting nano-engineered zirconia implants
Abstract
A C T Zirconia-based dental implants are gaining increasing interest; however, long-term success may be suboptimal in compromised clinical conditions. As a result, surface modification of implants is performed to tailor surface topography and chemistry, enhancing bioactivity (implant-tissue integration) and achieving local therapy (antibacterial effects). In this study, we anodize clinically relevant micro-rough Zirconium (Zr) implants to fabricate 'peak and valley'-like anisotropic Zirconia (ZrO 2 ) nanopores and chemically incorporate Gallium (Ga) to impart bactericidal efficacy. Next, surface topography, roughness and chemistry analysis are performed to confirm implant surface modification. Characterization confirmed the fabrication of nanopores on Zr and the deposition of amorphous Ga(OH)₃ (hydrated hydroxide) layers, which serve as reservoirs for Ga 3+ release. Further, the local elution of Ga from the nanoporous implants in vitro in PBS and DMEM media was evaluated. Finally, in separate experiments, primary human gingival fibroblasts and polymicrobial salivary biofilm were cultured on implant surfaces (Ga-modified and unmodified) to investigate bioactivity and biofilm activity. In vitro studies confirmed that Ga-releasing implants are not cytotoxic to fibroblasts and maintain fibroblast proliferation, adhesion and parallel alignment to anisotropic nanopores. Finally, the Ga-modified implants exhibited superior antibiofilm efficacy against salivary biofilm. These findings suggest that Ga-modified dual micro-nano ZrO₂ implants may enhance soft-tissue integration and reduce the risk of infection.
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BibTeX
@article{chopra2026micro,
title = {{Micro, nano and gallium: Bioactive and bactericidal gallium-eluting nano-engineered zirconia implants}},
author = {Divya Chopra and Anjana Jayasree and Tianqi Guo and Elise Verron and Sašo Ivanovski and Karan Gulati},
journal = {Chemical Engineering Journal},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1016/j.cej.2025.168628},
url = {https://nantes-universite.hal.science/hal-05849022v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Micro, nano and gallium: Bioactive and bactericidal gallium-eluting nano-engineered zirconia implants
AU - Divya Chopra
AU - Anjana Jayasree
AU - Tianqi Guo
AU - Elise Verron
AU - Sašo Ivanovski
AU - Karan Gulati
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/02
JO - Chemical Engineering Journal
DO - 10.1016/j.cej.2025.168628
UR - https://nantes-universite.hal.science/hal-05849022v1
AB - A C T Zirconia-based dental implants are gaining increasing interest; however, long-term success may be suboptimal in compromised clinical conditions. As a result, surface modification of implants is performed to tailor surface topography and chemistry, enhancing bioactivity (implant-tissue integration) and achieving local therapy (antibacterial effects). In this study, we anodize clinically relevant micro-rough Zirconium (Zr) implants to fabricate 'peak and valley'-like anisotropic Zirconia (ZrO 2 ) nanopores and chemically incorporate Gallium (Ga) to impart bactericidal efficacy. Next, surface topography, roughness and chemistry analysis are performed to confirm implant surface modification. Characterization confirmed the fabrication of nanopores on Zr and the deposition of amorphous Ga(OH)₃ (hydrated hydroxide) layers, which serve as reservoirs for Ga 3+ release. Further, the local elution of Ga from the nanoporous implants in vitro in PBS and DMEM media was evaluated. Finally, in separate experiments, primary human gingival fibroblasts and polymicrobial salivary biofilm were cultured on implant surfaces (Ga-modified and unmodified) to investigate bioactivity and biofilm activity. In vitro studies confirmed that Ga-releasing implants are not cytotoxic to fibroblasts and maintain fibroblast proliferation, adhesion and parallel alignment to anisotropic nanopores. Finally, the Ga-modified implants exhibited superior antibiofilm efficacy against salivary biofilm. These findings suggest that Ga-modified dual micro-nano ZrO₂ implants may enhance soft-tissue integration and reduce the risk of infection.
SN - 1385-8947
ER -