Fabrication of copper ions-substituted hydroxyapatite coating on titanium substrates for antibacterial and osteogenic applications

Abstract The aim of this study was to enhance the antibacterial property and osteogenic ability of copper ions-substituted hydroxyapatite (HA-Cu)-based titanium dioxide nanotubes (TNT) implants. The morphology and crystal structure of HA-Cu nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Morphologies and hydrophilic property of Ti, TNT, TNT-HA, and TNT-HA-Cu were evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and water contact angle (WCA) measurement. Antibacterial assays confirmed that the TNT-HA-Cu presented strong antibacterial abilities against E. coli (82.3%) and S. aureus (87.0%) compared with native Ti substrates. Cellular experiments indicated that TNT-HA-Cu was biocompatible and could induce osteogenesis by stimulating osteoblasts adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, and up-regulating the expression of osteogenic-related genes. The HA-Cu modified TNT substrates were an effective approach of designing both antibacterial and osteogenic Ti-based implants in the orthopedic field.