Polyelectrolyte multilayer coatings for implant osseointegration

The number of arthroplasties is rapidly increasing, however most materials used for such applications lack in osseointegration. The improvement of the bone/implant interface has received great attention for many years, with special reference to titanium-based implants. The interface between bone and implant has been considered both by physical approaches focused on surface topography and by chemical/biochemical surface modification by incorporation of organic molecules. The work described here is focused on the fabrication of implant coatings by layer by layer self-assembly of Collagen I (COL) and Hyaluronic acid (HA). The multilayer structure has been characterized by SEM and AFM, and the Titanium substrates coated with this multilayers have been tested with 3T3 cells seeded on Titanium supports. The results show that these coatings are promising for the improvement of implant osseointegration. This fabrication method is easily reproducible, versatile and economic.