Solution blow spun poly-L-lactic acid/ceramic fibrous composites for bone implant applications

Abstract

Every bone implant to work correctly after implantation needs to integrate with the surrounding bone. To enhance such a process, called osseointegration, various techniques of implant surface modification emerged. One of the approaches is based on the deposition of nano- and submicron materials on the implant surface. This paper presents a solution blow spinning process for producing poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA)/ceramic fibrous composites designed to be deposited directly onto orthopaedic implants prior to implantation to increase osseointegration. We produced plain PLLA fibrous materials for comparison, and fibrous composite materials with β-tricalcium phosphate (βTCP), hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (nHAp) and hydroxyapatite nanoparticles modified with lecithin (nHAp-LE). We performed the structural analysis of produced materials with scanning electron microscopy, gravimetric determination of porosity, and water contact angle measurement. We also used infrared spectroscopy, Alizarin Red S staining, and cytotoxicity evaluation to conclude that PLLA/nHAp-LE composite material shows the most promising properties to be applied as surface modification of bone implants. To visualise fibrous composite deposition on implants, we used two models: titanium plate and stainless-steel bolt. Thus, we showed that the solution blow spun materials can be used for surface modification of orthopaedic implants.