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Orthopedic Biomaterials pp 63–83Cite as

Orthopedic Applications of Silver and Silver Nanoparticles

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Abstract

Silver (Ag) has been known for its antimicrobial properties for centuries but has received renewed interest in recent years primarily due to the rise of antibiotic-resistance and the development of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs). In orthopedics, multiple applications containing Ag are being developed including Ag dressings, Ag-coated prosthetic implants, and Ag-based bone cements. In this chapter, we review the antimicrobial mechanisms as well as the delivery and metabolic pathways of Ag and the primary uses of Ag and AgNPs in orthopedic applications, focusing on their antimicrobial activity, toxicity, and clinical uses.

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Acknowledgement

We acknowledge financial support from AO Foundation (Project S-13-15L was supported by the AO Foundation), Osteosynthesis & Trauma Care Foundation, the West Virginia National Aeronautics and Space Administration Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (WV NASA EPSCoR), NIH Grant P20GM103434, and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number 2U54GM104942-02. This work was also supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, through the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program, Discovery Award under Award No. W81XWH-17-1-0603. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the funding agencies. We thank Suzanne Danley for proofreading.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA

    Jason Kang, Krystal Hughes & Bingyun Li

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    Malcolm Xing

  3. The Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    Malcolm Xing

  4. Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, Morgantown, WV, USA

    Bingyun Li

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  1. Jason Kang
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  2. Krystal Hughes
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  4. Bingyun Li
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Correspondence to Bingyun Li .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedics, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA

    Bingyun Li

  2. Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Thomas Webster

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Kang, J., Hughes, K., Xing, M., Li, B. (2017). Orthopedic Applications of Silver and Silver Nanoparticles. In: Li, B., Webster, T. (eds) Orthopedic Biomaterials. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73664-8_3

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