Bioinspired Titanium Drug Eluting Platforms Based on a Poly-β-cyclodextrin–Chitosan Layer-by-Layer Self-Assembly Targeting Infections

In the field of implantable titanium-based biomaterials, infections and inflammations are the most common forms of postoperative complications. The controlled local delivery of therapeutics from implants through polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) has recently emerged as a versatile technique that has shown great promise in the transformation of a classical medical implant into a drug delivery system. Herein, we report the design and the elaboration of new biodegradable multidrug-eluting titanium platforms based on a polyelectrolyte multilayer bioactive coating that target infections. These systems were built up in mild conditions according to the layer-by-layer (L-b-L) assembly and incorporate two biocompatible polysaccharides held together through electrostatic interactions. A synthetic, negatively charged β-cyclodextrin-based polymer (PCD), well-known for forming stable and reversible complexes with hydrophobic therapeutic agents, was exploited as a multidrug reservoir, and chitosan (CHT), a naturally occurring, positively charged polyelectrolyte, was used as a barrier for controlling the drug delivery rate. These polyelectrolyte multilayer films were strongly attached to the titanium surface through a bioinspired polydopamine (PDA) film acting as an adhesive first layer and promoting the robust anchorage of PEMs onto the biomaterials. Prior to the multilayer film deposition, the interactions between both oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, as well the multilayer growth, were monitored by employing surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Several PEMs integrating 5, 10, and 15 bilayers were engineered using the dip coating strategy, and the polyelectrolyte surface densities were estimated by colorimetric titrations and gravimetric analyses. The morphologies of these multilayer systems, as well as their naturally occurring degradation in a physiological medium, were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and their thicknesses were measured by means of profilometry and ellipsometry studies. Finally, the ability of the coated titanium multilayer devices to act as a drug-eluting system and to treat infections was validated with gentamicin, a relevant water-soluble antibiotic commonly used in medicine due to its broad bactericidal spectrum.