The Translation from In Vitro Bioactive Ion Concentration Screening to In Vivo Application for Preventing Peri-implantitis

Peri-implantitis is a typical pathological condition characterized by the destructive inflammation in the soft tissue and the progressive loss of supporting bones. As the current effective treatments and preventive measures are inconsistent and unpredictable, the use of biomaterials as carriers of bioactive ion coatings is a promising approach. However, the translation from lab to large-scale production and clinical applications is difficult due to a technology barrier. Determining the effective dosage of each ion to achieve an in vivo application of the in vitro screening is challenging. Here, we selected zinc and strontium ions to provide multiple effects on antibacterial activity and osteogenesis. The optimal coating with effective release concentrations of the two ions was obtained after the two-step screening from in vitro testing. The results showed that this type of in vivo bioactive ion usage leads to an enhanced osseointegration during the immediate implantation in a periodontitis-affected environment and prevents soft tissue inflammation and bone resorption in an inflammatory environment. The new biologically active ion screening method could verify the effectiveness of this clinical translation and its potential for large-scale production and could determine the effective dosage of each ion for a specific application.