Bacterial Adhesion on Orthopedic Titanium Implants Coated with Silver-Doped Hydroxyapatite and Chitosan
5 affiliations
- 1Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- 2University Medical Center Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- 3Jozef Stefan Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- 4Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11351 Belgrade, Serbia
- 5Laboratory of Transmissible Diseases and Biologically Active Substances LR99ES27, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Monastir, Monastir 5000, Tunisia
Abstract
Orthopedic site infections remain a growing concern in implantology, particularly in light of rising antibiotic resistance. Identifying optimal, standardized antimicrobial treatments is increasingly challenging. Beyond the design and functional properties of orthopedic materials, key factors such as bacterial adhesion and genotoxicity must also be considered. To develop implant materials with enhanced antibacterial properties and biocompatibility, this study investigated titanium (Ti) surfaces coated with chitosan (CS) and silver-doped hydroxyapatite (AgHA) at weight ratios of 1:1, 1:2, and 2:1. The incorporation of silver ions into hydroxyapatite demonstrated potent antibacterial activity, achieving a greater than 99% reduction in Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) viability in solution after just two hours of incubation, effectively inhibiting further bacterial growth. Furthermore, CS coatings combined with AgHA significantly reduced S. aureus adhesion and proliferation on Ti surfaces, with over 96% reduction in total bacterial viability. Further biological evaluation was performed on the CS:AgHA = 2:1 coating, selected for its favorable surface and antibacterial characteristics. Genotoxicity and cytotoxicity assessments using human peripheral blood lymphocytes showed no significant increase in micronuclei incidence for either uncoated Ti or CS:AgHA = 2:1-coated surfaces. Additionally, cell viability remained above 84%, indicating favorable biocompatibility under the experimental conditions used. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of CS:AgHA = 2:1 composite coatings for further investigation in antibacterial orthopedic implant applications.
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BibTeX
@article{filipovic2026bacterial,
title = {{Bacterial Adhesion on Orthopedic Titanium Implants Coated with Silver-Doped Hydroxyapatite and Chitosan}},
author = {Urška Filipović and Anamarija Zore and Nives Matijaković Mlinarić and Anže Abram and Roman Štrukelj and Martina Modic and Andreja Leskovac and Sandra Petrović and Vojislav Stanić and Safia Dahmen and Raja Gošnak Dahmane and Klemen Bohinc},
journal = {Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31193537},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13667199},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Bacterial Adhesion on Orthopedic Titanium Implants Coated with Silver-Doped Hydroxyapatite and Chitosan
AU - Urška Filipović
AU - Anamarija Zore
AU - Nives Matijaković Mlinarić
AU - Anže Abram
AU - Roman Štrukelj
AU - Martina Modic
AU - Andreja Leskovac
AU - Sandra Petrović
AU - Vojislav Stanić
AU - Safia Dahmen
AU - Raja Gošnak Dahmane
AU - Klemen Bohinc
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/molecules31193537
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13667199
AB - Orthopedic site infections remain a growing concern in implantology, particularly in light of rising antibiotic resistance. Identifying optimal, standardized antimicrobial treatments is increasingly challenging. Beyond the design and functional properties of orthopedic materials, key factors such as bacterial adhesion and genotoxicity must also be considered. To develop implant materials with enhanced antibacterial properties and biocompatibility, this study investigated titanium (Ti) surfaces coated with chitosan (CS) and silver-doped hydroxyapatite (AgHA) at weight ratios of 1:1, 1:2, and 2:1. The incorporation of silver ions into hydroxyapatite demonstrated potent antibacterial activity, achieving a greater than 99% reduction in Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) viability in solution after just two hours of incubation, effectively inhibiting further bacterial growth. Furthermore, CS coatings combined with AgHA significantly reduced S. aureus adhesion and proliferation on Ti surfaces, with over 96% reduction in total bacterial viability. Further biological evaluation was performed on the CS:AgHA = 2:1 coating, selected for its favorable surface and antibacterial characteristics. Genotoxicity and cytotoxicity assessments using human peripheral blood lymphocytes showed no significant increase in micronuclei incidence for either uncoated Ti or CS:AgHA = 2:1-coated surfaces. Additionally, cell viability remained above 84%, indicating favorable biocompatibility under the experimental conditions used. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of CS:AgHA = 2:1 composite coatings for further investigation in antibacterial orthopedic implant applications.
SN - 1420-3049
ER -