Issue 88, 2015

Melt-compounded polylactic acid composite hybrids with hydroxyapatite nanorods and silver nanoparticles: biodegradation, antibacterial ability, bioactivity and cytotoxicity

Abstract

Designing bulk polymer composite materials with firmly embedded nanofillers having good biocompatibility, high bactericidal activity and large scale production capability is considered of technological importance. Biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) with 18 wt% hydroxyapatite nanorod (nHA) and silver nanoparticle (AgNP) of different loadings were fabricated by melt-compounding process. Hybridizing nHA with AgNP fillers in the PLA matrix permitted efficient attachment and proliferation of osteoblasts and good bactericidal ability of the resulting nanocomposites. This study aimed to evaluate the biodegradation, antibacterial ability, bioactivity and cytotoxicity of melt-compounded PLA/18% nHA–Ag hybrids using solution immersion, water contact angle, agar disk diffusion, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and biomineralization measurements. Weight-loss and water contact angle measurements showed that the nHA and Ag nanofillers increase the degradation rate and hydrophilicity of PLA, respectively; AgNPs were more effective than nHA for those tests. Disk diffusion test results demonstrated that the PLA/18% nHA–Ag hybrids show high bactericidal activity against Escherichia coli and moderate activity against Staphylococcus aureus. MTT test results revealed that high AgNP contents (18 and 25 wt%) in the PLA hybrids inhibit the proliferation of osteoblasts. However, composite hybrids with low loading Ag levels (2 and 6 wt%) showed good biocompatibility. Such hybrids maintained a good balance between antibacterial activity and cytocompatibility. Biomineralization test revealed that a dense apatite layer can be fully developed on the surfaces of PLA/18% nHA–Ag hybrids. The development of industrially scalable, efficient and cost effective polymer composite hybrids with good osteoconductivity and great bactericidal activity opens new perspective for bone tissue engineering applications.

Graphical abstract: Melt-compounded polylactic acid composite hybrids with hydroxyapatite nanorods and silver nanoparticles: biodegradation, antibacterial ability, bioactivity and cytotoxicity

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 Jul 2015
Accepted
17 Aug 2015
First published
19 Aug 2015

RSC Adv., 2015,5, 72288-72299

Author version available

Melt-compounded polylactic acid composite hybrids with hydroxyapatite nanorods and silver nanoparticles: biodegradation, antibacterial ability, bioactivity and cytotoxicity

C. Liu, K. W. Chan, J. Shen, H. M. Wong, K. W. Kwok Yeung and S. C. Tjong, RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 72288 DOI: 10.1039/C5RA14155A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements