Electrically-Controlled Penicillin/Streptomycin Release fromNanostructured Polypyrrole Coated on Titanium forOrthopedic Implants

摘要

Implant infection leading to revision surgery can be avoided by incorporating controllableantibiotic release from titanium (Ti) implant surfaces. In this study, penicillin/streptomycin (P/S)and dexamethasone (Dex) were successfully immobilized via electropolymerization withinpolypyrrole membranes coated on the surface of Ti, which is widely used in orthopedic applications.In vitro results showed that greater numbers of osteoblasts adhered on these polymer-coatedsubstrates than on currently-used unmodified Ti. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used tomonitor and compare the reaction effectiveness and the yield of electropolymerization. Polypyrrolemembranes conjugated with P/S and Dex, and then coated with PLGA, all possessed nanometerscale roughness, as analyzed by atomic force microscopy. In summary, this study demonstrated thatdrugs incorporated within electroactive polypyrrole membranes, whose release was controlled byapplying voltages, supported osteoblast adhesion and could potentially fight bacterial infection.