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Antibacterial efficacy and cytotoxicity of low intensity direct current activated silver–titanium implant system prototype

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Abstract

Silver-based devices activated by electric current are of interest in biomedicine because of their broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. This study investigates the in vitro antibacterial efficacy and cytotoxicity of a low intensity direct current (LIDC)-activated silver–titanium implant system prototype designed for localized generation and delivery of silver ions at the implantation site. First, the antibacterial efficacy of the system was assessed against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) over 48 h at current levels of 3 and 6 µA in Mueller–Hinton broth. The cytotoxicity of the system was then evaluated over 48 h in two phases using an in vitro model with in which the activated electrodes were suspended in growth medium in a cell-seeded tissue culture plate. In phase-1, the system was tested on human osteosarcoma (MG-63) cell line and compared to titanium controls. In phase-2, the cytotoxicity characteristics were validated with normal human diploid osteoblast cells. The LIDC-activated system demonstrated high antimicrobial efficacy against MRSA, but was also toxic to human cells immediately surrounding the electrodes. The statistical analysis showed that the cytotoxicity was a result of the presence of silver, and the electric activation did not make it worse.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported by a research grant from NC State Research and Innovation and Seed Funding (RISF) program. The authors thank Ms. Patty Spears and Ms. Mitsu Suyemoto from NC State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine for their valuable and constructive suggestions during the antimicrobial efficacy testing experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    Zhuo Tan & Rohan A. Shirwaiker

  2. Department of Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA

    Zhuo Tan

  3. Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27607, USA

    Edward A. Havell & Paul E. Orndorff

  4. UNC-NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    Rohan A. Shirwaiker

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  1. Zhuo Tan
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Correspondence to Rohan A. Shirwaiker.

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Tan, Z., Havell, E.A., Orndorff, P.E. et al. Antibacterial efficacy and cytotoxicity of low intensity direct current activated silver–titanium implant system prototype. Biometals 30, 113–125 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-017-9993-1

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