Titania nanotube arrays: interfaces for implantable devices
Date
2012
Authors
Smith, Barbara Symie, author
Popat, Ketul, advisor
Gonzalez-Juarrero, Mercedes, committee member
Prasad, Ashok, committee member
Dasi, Lakshmi Prasad, committee member
Dow, Steven, committee member
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Abstract
For the 8-10% of Americans (20-25 million people) that have implanted biomedical devices, biomaterial failure and the need for revision surgery are critical concerns. The major causes for failure in implantable biomedical devices promoting a need for re- implantation and revision surgery include thrombosis, post-operative infection, immune driven fibrosis and biomechanical failure. The successful integration of long-term implantable devices is highly dependent on the early events of tissue/biomaterial interaction, promoting either implant rejection or a wound healing response (extracellular matrix production and vasculature). Favorable interactions between the implant surface and the respective tissue are critical for the long-term success of any implantable device. Recent studies have shown that material surfaces which mimic the natural physiological hierarchy of in vivo tissue may provide a possible solution for enhancing biomaterial integration, thus preventing infection and biomaterial rejection. Titania nanotube arrays, fabricated using a simple anodization technique, provide a template capable of promoting altered cellular functionality at a hierarchy similar to that of natural tissue. This work focuses on the fabrication of immobilized, vertically oriented and highly uniform titania nanotube arrays to determine how this specific nano-architecture affects skin cell functionality, hemocompatibility, thrombogenicity and the immune response. The results in this work identify enhanced dermal matrix production, altered hemocompatibility, reduced thrombogenicity and a deterred immune response on titania nanotube arrays. This evidences promising implications with respect to the use of titania nanotube arrays as beneficial interfaces for the successful implantation of biomedical devices.
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Subject
hemocompatibility
titania nanotube arrays
nanotechnology
immune response
implantable biomedical devices
biomaterials