Covering the pros and cons of coating implants with nanoparticles to prevent infection

Medical implants can address many conditions, such as osteoarthritis, but implant-related infections increase the risk of implant failure. The global increase of antimicrobial resistance combined with the growing use of implants fuels the need for strategies that can prevent associated infections.

Li et al. discuss one promising solution: nanoparticles. Coating the surface of medical implants with antimicrobial nanoparticles can help prevent infection and biofilm formation. They describe potential applications and challenges of this technique.

“I hope others will find this review useful in guiding future research and development priorities and strategies toward implementing nanoparticle coatings to prevent infections in medical implants,” said author Andrea O’Connor.

The authors admit there are many challenges to overcome before antimicrobial nanoparticle coatings are safe for human use, and address many of these issues, including manufacturing requirements, sterilization, long-term stability, protein fouling, regulatory approval and safety. They hope their review helps researchers eventually actualize the use of antimicrobial nanoparticle coatings on medical implants.

Nanoparticle coatings could create tailored surface treatments, so the authors consider the design and implementation for a variety of different implant materials and nanoparticle types. The performance and safety of coatings suitable for preventing polymicrobial infections, for example, still need to be assessed.

However, as researchers work toward safe coatings for the many implant types, the field can build off pre-existing nanomaterials that are already used in medicine.

“A range of nanomaterials and nanoparticles have achieved regulatory approval for other clinical applications and their use as antimicrobial materials presents an exciting opportunity,” O’Connor said.

Source: “Antimicrobial nanoparticle coatings for medical implants: Design challenges and prospects,” by Xin Li, Tao Huang, Daniel E. Heath, Neil M. O’Brien-Simpson, and Andrea J. O’Connor, Biointerphases (2020). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0000625 .

This paper is part of the Biointerface Science in Australia 2020 Collection, learn more here .