Current research in bone tissue engineering is focused not only on basic parameters of the materials, such as biocompatibility and degradation rate but also on intrinsic osteogenic and antimicrobial properties, essential to provide a rapid tissue regeneration without negative effects due to periprosthetic infections, that may result in revision surgeries. One of the major strategies to enhance the osteogenic and antimicrobial performance of calcium phosphates is the ionic substitution, in particular, with magnesium and borates. In this study, we focused on the synthesis of boron-substituted tricalcium phosphate (B-TCP) with a target of 5 mol.% substitution via the solid-state synthesis with mechano-activation. Synthesis from raw precursors, without the preliminary brushite wet precipitation, led to the primary phase of β-TCP, which was proved by the XRD analysis. According to the IR-spectroscopy and ³¹P NMR analysis, boron substitution occurred in the synthesized sample. The developed material showed a modest antibacterial performance against E. coli, with 13.5 ± 5.0% growth inhibition, and E. faecalis, with 16.7 ± 5.5% inhibition. The biocompatibility of β-TCP and B-TCP was tested through the MTT assay and osteogenic differentiation of the mesenchymal stromal cells. The proposed synthesis approach can be useful for the fabrication of B-TCP ceramics for bone tissue engineering.

Zinc biodegradable implants represent a revolutionary advancement in medical technology, offering a promising alternative to titanium and stainless-steel implants and avoiding the need for secondary surgeries for removal. In this study, we aimed to fulfil the clinical demand for biodegradable implant materials by applying a coating of double-doped strontium and copper resorbable tricalcium phosphate (SrCu-TCP) onto a zinc-lithium (Zn-Li) biodegradable alloy using the Pulsed Laser Deposition method. The coated surfaces were thoroughly characterized using X-ray Diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, and Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray. Microbiology experiments were conducted to assess the inhibitory effects on the growth of various bacteria strains, including gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis, gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, as well as the fungus Candida albicans. The obtained results showed that the roughness of the Zn-Li alloy increased from 91.8 ± 29.4 to 651.0 ± 179.5 nm when coated with SrCu-TCP. The thickness of the coating ranged between 3–3.5 µm. The inhibition of growth for all four bacteria strains and the fungus was in the range of 24–35% when cultured on SrCu-TCP coated Zn-Li samples. These findings suggest that the developed coatings are promising candidates for applications requiring inhibition of microorganisms.

Surgical operations on the peritoneum are often associated with the formation of adhesions, which can interfere with the normal functioning of the internal organs. The effectiveness of existing barrier materials is relatively low. In this work, the effectiveness of soluble alginate–polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP-Alg) and non-soluble Ca ion cross-linked (PVP-Alg-Ca) films in preventing these adhesions was evaluated. Experiments in vivo were performed on mice via mechanical injury to the adjacent peritoneum wall and the caecum, followed by the application of PVP-Alg or PVP-Alg-Ca films to the injured area. After 7 days, samples from the peritoneal wall and caecum were analyzed using histology and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). It was shown that the expression of genes responsible for adhesion formation in the caecum in the PVP-Alg group was comparable to that in the control group, while in the PVP-Alg-Ca group, it increased by 5–10 times. These results were consistent with the histology: in the PVP-Alg group, the adhesions did not form, while in the PVP-Alg-Ca group, the adhesions corresponded to five points on the adhesion scale. Therefore, the formation of intraperitoneal adhesions can be effectively prevented by non-crosslinked, biodegradable PVP-Alg films, whereas cross-linked, not biodegradable PVP-Alg-Ca films cause inflammation and adhesion formation.