Use of non-thermal plasma for decontamination of titanium implants

Abstract

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) has a non-specific bactericidal effect as a result of the synergistic activity of biologically active components contained in the plasma torch. As part of this work, we investigated the potential of using NTP for the antibacterial treatment of titanium implants. Applying samples made of the VT6 titanium alloy used to create implants and a strain of antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus MRSA, we showed that 1) plasma pretreatment of the sample surface led to the formation of a film containing titanium oxides which have a weak bactericidal effect reducing the colonization of the surface with staphylococcus; 2) direct plasma treatment of a polished titanium disk for 120 seconds reduced the contamination of S. aureus by 563 times; 3) the relief of the titanium surface itself plays an important role in the effectiveness of decontamination: the bacteria on the rough surface were less susceptible to the effects of NTP than the bacteria on the polished surface. In total, the data obtained indicate the need to continue research aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the bactericidal activity of NTP against bacteria on the surface of titanium implants.