New solutions for combatting implant bacterial infection based on silver nano-dispersed and gallium incorporated phosphate bioactive glass sputtered films: A preliminary study

Ag/Ga were incorporated into resorbable orthopaedic phosphate bioactive glasses (PBG, containing P, Ca, Mg, Na, and Fe) thin films to demonstrate their potential to limit growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in post-operative prosthetic implantation. Dual target consecutive co-sputtering was uniquely employed to produce a 46 nm Ag:PBG composite observed by high resolution TEM to consist of uniformly dispersed ~5 nm metallic Ag nano-particles in a glass matrix. Ga(3+) was integrated into a phosphate glass preform target which was magnetron sputtered to film thicknesses of ~400 or 1400 nm. All coatings exhibited high surface energy of 75.4–77.3 mN/m, attributed to the presence of hydrolytic P–O–P structural surface bonds. Degradation profiles obtained in deionized water, nutrient broth and cell culture medium showed varying ion release profiles, whereby Ga release was measured in 1400 nm coating by ICP-MS to be ~6, 27, and 4 ppm respectively, fully dissolving by 24 h. Solubility of Ag nanoparticles was only observed in nutrient broth (~9 ppm by 24 h). Quantification of colony forming units after 24 h showed encouraging antibacterial efficacy towards both S. aureus (4-log reduction for Ag:PBG and 6-log reduction for Ga-PBG≈1400 nm) and E. coli (5-log reduction for all physical vapour deposited layers) strains. Human Hs27 fibroblast and mesenchymal stem cell line in vitro tests indicated good cytocompatibility for all sputtered layers, with a marginal cell proliferation inertia in the case of the Ag:PBG composite thin film. The study therefore highlights the (i) significant manufacturing development via the controlled inclusion of metallic nanoparticles into a PBG glass matrix by dual consecutive target co-sputtering and (ii) potential of PBG resorbable thin-film structures to incorporate and release cytocompatible/antibacterial oxides. Both architectures showed prospective bio-functional performance for a future generation of endo-osseous implant-type coatings.