There is a growing interest in the utilization of metal oxide nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents. This review will focus on titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs), which have been demonstrated to exhibit high antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi, chemical stability, low toxicity to eukaryotic cells, and therefore high biocompatibility. Despite the extensive research conducted in this field, there is currently no consensus on how to enhance the antimicrobial efficacy of TiO₂ NPs. The aim of this review is to evaluate the influence of various factors, including particle size, shape, composition, and synthesis parameters, as well as microbial type, on the antibacterial activity of TiO₂ NPs against bacteria and fungi. Furthermore, the review offers a comprehensive overview of the methodologies employed in the synthesis and characterization of TiO₂ NPs. The antimicrobial activity of TiO₂ exhibits a weak dependence on the microorganism species. A tendency towards increased antibacterial activity is observed with decreasing TiO₂ NP size. The dependence on the shape and composition is more pronounced. The most pronounced antimicrobial potential is exhibited by amorphous NPs and NPs doped with inorganic compounds. This review may be of interest to specialists in biology, medicine, chemistry, and other related fields.

New materials for additive manufacturing are currently being actively studied, which both have the necessary physicochemical properties and are safe for the environment and living organisms. We have proposed a simple process for the production of composite materials based on a transparent polymethyl methacrylate-like photopolymer resin modified with metallic titanium nanoparticles. Standardized plate samples were printed from the obtained modified photopolymer resins using mask stereolithography with an LED light source array (MSLA), and their mechanical properties were evaluated. Plates were also printed, for which the surface topology, distribution of nanoparticles in the polymer matrix, chemical structure, optical properties, chemical structure, and optical properties were characterized. In the context of the impact on biological systems, the ability of materials to enhance the formation of ROS and affect the main biomacromolecules was demonstrated. At the same time, the developed composite materials inhibit the growth of E. coli bacterial cells, and the bactericidal effect of the surfaces of the obtained materials was shown. Despite the significant antibacterial properties of the synthesized materials, no negative impact on the growth and development of adhesive cultures of eukaryotic cells in vitro was detected.

In this paper, titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO₂-NPs) with complex surface topologies were obtained for the first time using simple procedures applied in laser sintering. Based on the obtained nanoparticles and polymethyl methacrylate-like photopolymer resin, a composite material (MPR/TiO₂-NPs) for 3D printing was created using the MSLA technology. Products made of the material containing from 0.001 to 0.1% wt. TiO₂-NPs didn’t contain internal defects and were less brittle than the resin without nanoparticles. Products made of the MPR/TiO₂-NPs material were well polished; after polishing, areas with a variation in the surface profile height of less than 10 nm were found on the surfaces. Nanoparticles in the volume of products made of the material are apparently unevenly distributed; there are alternating areas of micrometer sizes with slightly higher and slightly lower concentrations of nanoparticles. Spectroscopy showed that adding the developed nanoparticles promoted better polymerization of the MPR resin. The addition of nanoparticles to the material slightly increased its ability to generate active forms of oxygen and damage biomacromolecules. At the same time, the resulting material exhibits significant antibacterial properties and doen’t affect the growth and reproduction of animal cells. The created material can be a very effective basis for the additive manufacturing of products with improved physical and chemical properties and balanced biological activity.

The development of biodegradable, biocompatible materials with inherent antibacterial properties, suitable for 3D printing, is a key challenge in modern materials science. Composites based on PLA and copper nanoparticles (NPs) are promising candidates for such a material. A protocol of the low-temperature incorporation of 0.1% Cu NPs or 0.1% CuO NPs into a PLA was developed. The dependence of the materials’ physicochemical properties on nanoparticle composition was evaluated. Cu and CuO NPs were synthesized via liquid-phase laser ablation and had sizes of 25 and 80 nm, with modal zeta potential values of +31 and +42 mV, respectively. The incorporation of Cu NPs enhances the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of PLA, and improves antibacterial properties. The PLA + 0.1% CuO or PLA + 0.1% Cu nanoparticles inhibited the growth of E. coli by ~60% and >80%, respectively. PLA + 0.1% Cu NPs destructed of bacterial cell walls. The antibacterial action mechanisms are an 8-oxoguanine and LRPS generations. The obtained materials did not exhibit cytotoxic effects against normal human fibroblasts, did not alter the pH or redox potential of water, and did not release of Cu²⁺ in concentrations toxic to humans. The material PLA + 0.1% Cu NPs is the most optimal. This material may find applications in food production and biomedical applications.

Methacrylate-based materials, widely used in dentistry, must possess high biocompatibility with oral cells and tissues. Currently, to improve the integration of orthodontic devices with the biological structures, laser-assisted polymer modification is actively employed. Importantly, functionalization is required only for the surface of the material that directly interacts with the oral tissues. This study presents approaches for laser modification of polymethacrylate materials and evaluates their influence on the proliferative activity of human spleen fibroblasts. Using laser radiation, two geometric patterns were obtained on the polymer surfaces. Cell morphology and proliferation on the experimental samples were assessed using scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the polymer with a groove-textured surface (pattern 1) promoted enhanced cell adhesion and reduced material toxicity. Additionally, the antibacterial properties of the polymers were evaluated. The sample with sparsely distributed surface craters (pattern 2) demonstrated an antifouling effect against Escherichia coli.