The porous CaP subcoating was formed on the Ti6Al4V titanium alloy substrate by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO). Then, upper coatings were formed by radio frequency magnetron sputtering (RFMS) over the PEO subcoating by the sputtering of various CaP powder targets: β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), hydroxyapatite (HA), Mg-substituted β-tricalcium phosphate (Mg-β-TCP) and Mg-substituted hydroxyapatite (Mg-HA), Sr-substituted β-tricalcium phosphate (Sr-β-TCP) and Sr-substituted hydroxyapatite (Sr-HA). The coating surface morphology was studied by scanning electron and atomic force microscopy. The chemical composition was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The phase composition of the coatings was studied by X-ray diffraction analysis. The Young’s modulus of the coatings was studied by nanoindentation test. RF-magnetron sputtering treatment of PEO subcoating resulted in multileveled roughness, increased Ca/P ratio and Young’s modulus and enrichment with Sr and Mg. Sputtering of the upper layer also helped to adjust the coating crystallinity.

Previously, 3D-printed bone grafts made of titanium alloy with bioactive coating has shown great potential for the restoration of bone defects. Implanted into a medullary canal titanium graft with cellular structure demonstrated stimulation of the reparative osteogenesis and successful osseointegration of the graft into a single bone-implant block. The purpose of this study was to investigate osseointegration of a 3D-printed degradable polymeric implant with cellular structure as preclinical testing of a new technique for bone defect restoration. During an experimental study in sheep, a 20 mm-long segmental tibial defect was filled with an original cylindrical implant with cellular structure made of polycaprolactone coated with hydroxyapatite. X-ray radiographs demonstrated reparative bone regeneration from the periosteum lying on the periphery of cylindrical implant to its center in a week after the surgery. Cellular structure of the implant was fully filled with newly-formed bone tissue on the 4th week after the surgery. The bone tissue regeneration from the proximal and distal bone fragments was evident on 3rd week. This provides insight into the use of bioactive degradable implants for the restoration of segmental bone defects. Degradable implant with bioactive coating implanted into a long bone segmental defect provides stimulation of reparative osteogenesis and osseointegration into the single implant-bone block.

This Letter presents the possibility of 3D print polymer forms with a ferroelectric crystal structure in a one-step process by using the fused deposition modeling method. The approach does not require any additional equipment, other than an extruder for filament production and a commercial 3D printer to fabricate ferroelectric polymer forms. By using the copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and tetrafluoroethylene as a filament for 3D printing, complex spatial structures, such as the gyroid form, are accessible. Compared to polyvinylidene fluoride, the copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and tetrafluoroethylene retains its ferroelectric properties even after melting in the 3D printing process and soldification. The x-ray diffraction investigation shows that the 3D forms are having a planar zigzag conformation on macromolecule scales, which relates to a crystal structure with ferroelectric properties. Annealing the 3D forms at a temperature of 110 °C for 12 h does not cause any changes to the spatial polymer structures but leads to an increase in the degree of crystallinity by more than 20%. This result contributes to an increase in the ferroelectric crystalline phase content by ∼17% and the Curie temperature by ∼7 °C in contrast to non-annealed 3D forms.

There is currently a demand for anti-adhesive materials that are capable of preventing the formation of intra-abdominal adhesions. In this study, electrospun poly(lactide-co-glycolide) scaffolds were dip-coated in aqueous solutions of polyvinyl alcohol with concentrations of 3 wt.%, 6 wt.% and 9 wt.% to obtain a nontoxic and anti-adhesive biomedical material. The viscosities of the applied 3 wt.%, 6 wt.% and 9 wt.% polyvinyl alcohol solutions were 7.7 mPa∙s, 38.2 mPa∙s and 180.8 mPa∙s, respectively, and increased exponentially. It is shown that increasing the viscosity of the polyvinyl alcohol solution from 6 wt.% to 9 wt.% increases the thickness of the polyvinyl alcohol layer from (3.32 ± 0.97) µm to (8.09 ± 1.43) µm. No pronounced polyvinyl alcohol layer can be observed on samples dip-coated in 3 wt.% PVA solution. Increasing the viscosity of the polyvinyl alcohol solution from 3 wt.% to 9 wt.% increases the mechanical properties of the poly(lactide-co-glycolide) samples by a factor of 1.16–1.45. Cytotoxicity analysis of all samples reveals that none is toxic to 3T3-L1 fibroblast cells. A cell adhesion assay indicates that the anti-adhesion properties increase with increasing viscosity of the polyvinyl alcohol solution and the thickness of the polyvinyl alcohol layer on the poly(lactide-co-glycolide) scaffolds. Fluorescence images of the cells show that as the thickness of the polyvinyl alcohol coating increases, the number of cells decreases, and they do not cover the surface of the samples and form spherical three-dimensional agglomerates. The highest mechanical and anti-adhesion properties are obtained with the poly(lactide-co-glycolide) scaffold sample dip-coated in the 9 wt.% polyvinyl alcohol solution. This is because this sample has the thickest polyvinyl alcohol coating.

Background/Objectives: Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have recently gained attention for their antimicrobial properties, particularly because they target both planktonic bacteria and biofilms. Among these, DESs based on α-hydroxy acids (αHAs) are of interest due to their inherent antibacterial properties and favorable biocompatibility. However, effects of the αHA molecular structure and hydrogen bonding ability within a DES formulation on biological activity has not yet been thoroughly investigated. Methods: This study systematically investigates DESs formed by combining glycolic acid, lactic acid or tartaric acid with either choline chloride or tetraethylammonium chloride. Results: All DESs demonstrate broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and effectively inhibit biofilm formation while exhibiting low cytotoxicity toward 3T3-L1 fibroblasts. Conclusions: DES formation enhances antibacterial efficacy while attenuating cytotoxicity compared to the individual components, thereby decoupling bactericidal activity from toxicity. Physicochemical characterization confirms the formation of a eutectic phase and reveals that biological activity is primarily governed by acidity rather than by the specific αHA structure or eutectic strength. These results provide new insights into structure-function relationships in DESs and establish a design strategy for biocompatible, non-cytotoxic antimicrobial agents.