Camilla Emma Mariotti

Electrophoretic deposition of drug loaded bioactive glass-chitosan as antibacterial and bioactive coatings

Betreuer: Muhammad Asim Akhtar, Prof. Dr. Ing. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Chitosan is a natural polycationic polymer and due to its biocompatibility, bioactivity is widely used for biomedical applications. Chitosan coatings have been deposited by EPD for a great variety of applications ranging from skin, bone, cartilage grafts to substrate for cell culture [1]. The combination of chitosan with biomolecules and drugs, including phytotherapeutics, by EPD approaches, is also being investigated at the Erlangen Institute of Biomaterials [2].In this project, the EPD of chitosan-bioactive glass composite coatings combined with drugs for enhanced antimicrobial and bioactive properties is investigated. The produced layered coatings will be characterized in terms of composition, morphology, antibacterial activity, drug release. The results will be useful for demonstrating the important role of EPD for developing complex antibacterial surfaces on orthopedic implants.

[1] E. Avcu, et al., Electrophoretic deposition of chitosan-based composite coatings for biomedical applications: A review, _Progr. Mater. Sci. 103 (2019) 69-108.

[2] M. A. U. Rehman, et al., Electrophoretic deposition of lawsone loaded bioactive glass (BG)/chitosan composite on polyetheretherketone (PEEK)/BG layers as antibacterial and bioactive coating,_J. Biomed. Mater. Res. Part A 106 (12) (2018) 3111-3122

Novel  electrospun fibers of zein-BGs with antibacterial activity for bone regeneration

Betreuer: Laura Ramos Rivera, Prof. Dr. Ing. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Zein, a natural protein from corn, has important applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries due to the fact that it is biodegradable, biocompatible. However, due to its low mechanical properties, many inorganic compounds (hydroxyapatite, calcium phosphate, natural clays, bioactive glasses) have been used in combination with zein to obtain composite materials with improved mechanical properties[1]. This project is focused on the development of zein-BGs fibers using electrospinning technique for hard tissue engineering.T he obtained fibers will be characterized with SEM, FTIR as well as for antibacterial activity degradation profile and wetting behavior. The results will be relevant to produce novel scaffolds for bone regeneration.

[1]M. Demir, et al., Zein-based composites in biomedical applications, _J. Biomed. Mater. Res. Part A 105 (2017) 1656-1665.