Gold Nanostars Coating Titanium Implant Photothermal Antibacterial Osteogenic Performance

This study aimed to develop gold nanostar coatings on titanium implants and investigate their osteoinductive and photothermal antimicrobial properties through material characterization, in vivo and in vitro osteogenic induction assays, and antimicrobial tests. A gold nanostar coating was prepared on the surface of titanium implants, and its osteoinductive and photothermal antimicrobial properties were investigated through material characterization, in vivo and in vitro osteogenic induction experiments, and in vitro antimicrobial tests.In the animal study, 30 six-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were used, approved by the Ethics Committee of Shandong University Stomatological Hospital (#20221012). Methods included SEM, TEM, and micro-CT,ALP activity, CCK-8, and calcium deposition assays ; HE staining; qRT-PCR and Western blot. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 with ANOVA and SNK post hoc tests, with significance at p<0.05 and p<0.01. Silanization and GNS deposition synergistically enhanced the surface wettability and roughness of the material, while endowing it with photothermal responsiveness under NIR irradiation. In vivo assessments confirmed the biosafety of the Ti-GNS group, which demonstrated superior promotion of cellular adhesion, proliferation, and osteoinduction compared to control groups. The Ti-GNS implants exhibited sustained antimicrobial efficacy through NIR-activated photothermal effects, establishing a scientific foundation for developing infection-resistant biomedical devices. This experiment innovatively prepared gold nanostar-modified titanium implants and preliminarily verified their excellent osteoinductive and photothermal antimicrobial properties. This provides a new approach for surface modification of dental implants, with broad application prospects and significant clinical implications.