Surface coating with bacteriostatic properties

Bacterial infections are a significant problem in the field of medical devices, proving to be one of the most dangerous causes of orthopedic implant failure.

Silver-Pore surface coating is a coating of Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs), silver nanoparticles with dimensions between 1nm and 100nm, applied by chemical deposition on implant surfaces and is a valuable solution to prevent postoperative complications related to bacterial infections.

In fact, the effects of silver include inactivation of bacterial enzymes, disruption of bacterial metabolic processes, and generation of reactive oxygen species that damage biomacromolecules. Precisely because of these multilevel modes of action, AgNPs destroy or inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms, including highly resistant bacterial strains.

To evaluate the efficacy and biocompatibility of this coating, several in vitro tests were performed.

In particular, through an electrochemical test, the release of metal ions over time was evaluated, which was found to be zero.
Microbiological tests were then performed on Staphylococcus Aureus isolated from sepsis, with the aim of evaluating the efficacy of AgNPs; discs coated with the silver nanoparticles blocked bacterial growth.
Finally, a biological evaluation was performed both following the standard BS EN ISO 10993:2009 to verify and demonstrate the biocompatibility of the coating, and by an ICP-OES analysis on animal organs.
A total absence of the Ag element was detected in all tested specimens.

As a result, the Silver-Pore coating was found to be effective and biocompatible for implantable devices.