Obtaining of Antibacterial Nanoporous Layer on Ti7.5Mo Alloy Surface Combining Alkaline Treatment and Silver: In Vitro Studies

In the present study, a combination of alkaline treatment and silver was used to produce an antibacterial nanolayer on the Ti7.5Mo alloy surface. The antibacterial response and osteogenesis were evaluated by assessing the adhesion and proliferation of S. aureus and S. epidermidis, as well as the adhesion, viability, and expression levels of genes involved in osteogenic differentiation in the mouse pre-osteoblast cell line MC3T3-E1. The potential stimulus of extracellular remodeling was evaluated using zymography. Our results showed that there is no difference in cytotoxicity after silver immobilization. Protein activity (MMP9) progressively increased for theTi7.5Mo alloy, both untreated and after alkaline treatment. However, the highest increase in protein activity was observed when the alloy was in direct contact with immobilized silver nanoparticles. The surfaces containing silver showed a better response in terms of colony formation, meaning that less bacterial adhesion was detected. The results showed that the layer formed was effective in reducing bacterial activity without altering cell viability.