Two
major issues are currently hindering the clinical practice
of titanium dental implants for the lack of biological activities:
immediate/early loading risks and peri-implantitis. To solve these
issues, it is urgent to develop multifunctional implants modified
with effective osteogenic and antibacterial properties. Zinc oxide
nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) possess superior antibacterial activity; however,
they can rapidly release Zn2+, causing cytotoxicity. In
this study, a potential dental implant modification was creatively
developed as ZnO nanoparticle-loaded mesoporous TiO2 coatings
(nZnO/MTC-Ti) via the evaporation-induced self-assembly
method (EISA) and one-step spin coating. The mesoporous TiO2 coatings (MTCs) regulated the synthesis and loading of ZnO NPs inside
the nanosized pores. The synergistic effects of MTC and ZnO NPs on
nZnO/MTC-Ti not only controlled the long-term steady-state release
of Zn2+ but also optimized the charge distribution on the
surface. Therefore, the cytotoxicity of ZnO NPs was resolved without
triggering excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS). The increased
extracellular Zn2+ further promoted a favorable intracellular
zinc ion microenvironment through the modulation of zinc transporters
(ZIP1 and ZnT1). Owing to that, the adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic
activity of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were improved. Additionally,
nZnO/MTC-Ti inhibited the proliferation of oral pathogens (Pg and
Aa) by inducing bacterial ROS production. For in vivo experiments, different implants were implanted into the alveolar
fossa of Sprague–Dawley rats immediately after tooth extraction.
The nZnO/MTC-Ti implants were found to possess a higher capability
for enhancing bone regeneration, antibiosis, and osseointegration in vivo. These findings suggested the outstanding performance
of nZnO/MTC-Ti implants in accelerating osseointegration and inhibiting
bacterial infection, indicating a huge potential for solving immediate/early
loading risks and peri-implantitis of dental implants.