Interface Wettability Transition-Driven Drug Release and Dual-Phase Functionalization in Implant Abutment

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Dental Implantology
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Dental implant abutments are susceptible to early biological contamination and late-stage inflammation.
• Existing treatments often fail to address both challenges effectively, leading to complications like peri-implantitis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a smart, dual-action drug-release coating for dental implant abutments.
• To utilize a superhydrophobic-to-wettable transition mechanism for sequential surface functionality.
• To mitigate early-stage bacterial adhesion and late-stage inflammatory responses.

Main Methods:

• Constructed a coating using hydrophobic micelles self-assembled on mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with berberine.
• Engineered the coating to exhibit a superhydrophobic state initially, transitioning to a wettable state upon protein deposition.
• Evaluated the coating's performance through in vitro and in vivo experiments.

Main Results:

• The superhydrophobic surface effectively resisted initial protein and bacterial adhesion.
• Protein deposition triggered a transition to a hydrophilic state, initiating a sigmoidal drug release profile.
• In vivo studies showed a 22.5-fold enhancement in antibacterial efficacy, reduced inflammation, and promoted soft tissue closure.

Conclusions:

• The developed smart coating provides sequential "early-antifouling-enabled late active regulation" for dental implant abutments.
• This strategy offers a promising solution for preventing peri-implant inflammation and soft tissue dehiscence.
• The coating's tunable drug release mechanism addresses the dual challenges of dental implant abutments.