UV irradiation enhances the bonding strength between citric acid-crosslinked gelatin and stainless steel

Photofunctionalization of Dental Implants

After dental implants are manufactured there can be a loss of biological activity that may be reactivated by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, that is, photofunctionalization. The titanium surface is energy conditioned by UV radiation. This imparts a slight positive surface energy and hydrophilicity to the titanium dental implant surface. This conditioning renews biological activity lost after a shelf life of as little as 2 weeks. The UV radiation has chemical and biological effects on the osseous-implant interface. Photofunctionization for as little as 15 minutes accelerates healing and increases bone to implant contact. The most effective time exposure and UV wave length are in need of identification to produce a surface most conducive for osseointegration.

Effects of ultraviolet irradiation on bonding strength between Co–Cr alloy and citric acid-crosslinked gelatin matrix

Novel techniques for creating a strong bond between polymeric matrices and biometals are required. We immobilized polymeric matrices on the surface of biometal for drug-eluting stents through covalent bond. We performed to improve the bonding strength between a cobalt–chromium alloy and a citric acid-crosslinked gelatin matrix by ultraviolet irradiation on the surface of cobalt–chromium alloy. The ultraviolet irradiation effectively generated hydroxyl groups on the surface of the alloy. The bonding strength between the gelatin matrix and the alloy before ultraviolet irradiation was 0.38 ± 0.02 MPa, whereas it increased to 0.48 ± 0.02 MPa after ultraviolet irradiation. Surface analysis showed that the citric acid derivatives occurred on the surface of the cobalt–chromium alloy through ester bond. Therefore, ester bond formation between the citric acid derivatives active esters and the hydroxyl groups on the cobalt–chromium alloy contributed to the enhanced bonding strength. Ultraviolet irradiation and subsequent immobilization of a gelatin matrix using citric acid derivatives is thus an effective way to functionalize biometal surfaces.

Promotion of initial cell adhesion on trisuccinimidyl citrate-modified nickel-free high-nitrogen stainless steel

The surface of nickel-free high-nitrogen stainless steel (HNS) was modified with a citric acid-based cross-linker, trisuccinimidyl citrate (TSC), to promote initial cell adhesion in external skeletal fixation pins. The remaining active ester groups on TSC-immobilized HNS reacted with the amino groups of serum proteins. The immobilized serum proteins formed cell recognition sites to promote the initial cell adhesion immediately after cell seeding. The amount of fibronectin, which is a typical cell adhesion protein, immobilized on the TSC-immobilized HNS surface was threefold greater than on the original HNS after only 15 min. The fibroblastic cell culture experiments showed that the initial cell adhesion was significantly enhanced on the TSC-immobilized HNS compared with the original HNS at 3 h. Furthermore, the cell adhesion activity of the TSC-immobilized HNS continued to promote cell proliferation even at 7 days. Therefore, TSC-immobilized HNS may enable the rapid integration of soft tissues through its reaction with the patient's serum proteins and extracellular proteins around the surgical site.

Poly-(L-lactic acid) and citric acid-crosslinked gelatin composite matrices as a drug-eluting stent coating material with endothelialization, antithrombogenic, and drug release properties

Biodegradable composite matrices comprising poly-(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and citric acid-crosslinked alkali-treated gelatin (AlGelatin) with endothelialization, antithrombogenic, and drug release properties were prepared. The characterization of composite matrices with various mixing ratios was performed by evaluating their swelling ratio, endothelial cell culture, antithrombogenic tests, and drug release behavior. Tamibarotene (Am80), which specifically inhibits smooth muscle cell proliferation, was employed as the drug. The swelling ratio of composite matrices decreased as the PLLA content decreased. The number of endothelial cells cultured on the surfaces of composite matrices was maximal at the PLLA/AlGelatin-TSC ratio of 80/20. Antithrombogenic tests revealed that the levels of platelets and fibrin network formation decreased as the AlGelatin-TSC content increased. The Am80 release test indicated that the release rate decreased as PLLA content increased. Using the resulting composite matrix, Am80-eluting stents possessing a smooth surface and a coating thickness of ∼15 μm were successfully obtained. Am80 was continuously released from the resulting stent at ∼40%, up to 28 days without burst release. Therefore, Am80-eluting stent with its antithrombogenic and endothelialization properties has great potential for clinical use.

Preparation and biological evaluation of hydroxyapatite-coated nickel-free high-nitrogen stainless steel

Calcium phosphate was formed on nickel-free high-nitrogen stainless steel (HNS) by chemical solution deposition. The calcium phosphate deposition was enhanced by glutamic acid covalently immobilized on the surface of HNS with trisuccinimidyl citrate as a linker. X-ray diffraction patterns and Fourier transform infrared spectra showed that the material deposited on glutamic acid-immobilized HNS within 24 h was low-crystallinity calcium-deficient carbonate-containing hydroxyapatite (HAp). The biological activity of the resulting HAp-coated HNS was investigated by using a human osteoblast-like MG-63 cell culture. The HAp-coated HNS stimulated the alkaline-phosphate activity of the MG-63 culture after 7 days. Therefore, HAp-coated HNS is suitable for orthopedic devices and soft tissue adhesion materials.

The effect of VEGF-immobilized nickel-free high-nitrogen stainless steel on viability and proliferation of vascular endothelial cells

Using ester bonds, vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) was immobilized on the surface of a novel biometal, nickel-free high-nitrogen stainless steel (HNS). The biological activity of immobilized VEGF-A was investigated after the culture of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) on the substrate. Immobilization of VEGF-A onto the HNS surface was performed using trisuccinimidyl citrate (TSC) as a linker. Firstly, UV irradiation was employed to amplify hydroxyl groups on the HNS surface. Next, the HNS was dipped into TSC/dimethyl sulfoxide solution at room temperature. From the results of water contact angle measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, TSC was found to be immobilized on the HNS surface via ester bonds. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that immobilized VEGF-A remained even after immersion in culture medium for 7 days; however, it was gradually deimmobilized by hydrolysis of the ester bonds at the TSC-metal interface. As a result, VEGF-A-immobilized HNS significantly contributed to the stimulation of HUVEC growth for the initial stage of culture, even though the gradual reduction in growth stimulation of HUVECs occurred by the sequential deimmobilization of VEGF-A, which was caused by the hydrolysis of the ester groups. Therefore, VEGF-A-immobilized HNS could be applied as a basic material for coronary stents.