Evaluation of Natural Extracts as Promising Components of Bioactive Coatings for Orthopedic Implants

Abstract

The development of drug-eluting bioactive coatings for orthopedic implants has gained increased interest in recent years with an intent to reduce postoperative complications and improve tissue regeneration at the implant interface. Due to the remarkable benefits of natural polyphenolic components, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and bioactive activity, and their ubiquitous availability in nature, they are promising candidates for incorporation into bioactive coatings of advanced medical devices in future clinical applications. However, further research is needed to address all challenges. This review aims to highlight the prosperity of natural compounds widely available in nature loaded in implantable devices, summarize the “state of the art” in this field, identify the challenges, and accordingly suggest the optimal preparation methods and characterization.

Novel Strategy in Searching for Natural Compounds with Anti-Aging and Rejuvenating Potential

“…One of the specific targets is the bio-derived compounds with anti-aging and rejuvenation potential [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Although there exists a large number of compounds claiming such activities, the issue of their assessment is extremely complicated [1,14,23,24]. It is primarily due to the variety of the effects included under different definitions of 'anti-aging' and 'rejuvenation'.…”

Supercritical Fluid Technologies for the Incorporation of Synthetic and Natural Active Compounds into Materials for Drug Formulation and Delivery

“…Proteins, polysaccharides, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes from natural sources are also promising candidates for use in the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, biomedical, and cosmetic industries due to their diverse benefits, abundance in nature, and affordability [3,4]. Proven positive therapeutic effects and growing environmental concerns are the main motivations for researching natural bioactive compounds as possible alternatives to synthetic drugs [5].…”

“…Proven positive therapeutic effects and growing environmental concerns are the main motivations for researching natural bioactive compounds as possible alternatives to synthetic drugs [5]. Growing evidence suggests that plant polyphenols, which include anthocyanidins, catechins, flavanones, flavones, flavonols, isoflavones, hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, lignans, and tannins, play an important role in the prevention of numerous diseases [4]. Polyphenols are usually secondary metabolites of plants, consisting of an aromatic ring with one or more hydroxyl groups.…”

“…They act as antioxidants [6], have antibacterial and antifungal effects [7,8], and may alter the expression of genes in the inflammatory pathway [9,10], thus playing a protective role against cancer [11], cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease [12,13]. However, their disadvantages lie mainly in their instability and insolubility in body fluids and challenging adsorption through membranes, resulting in poor bioavailability in the body [4,14].…”

Why Natural-Based Bioactive Coatings?

“…Concurrently, formulations with added natural-derived functionalities are increasingly positioned as an attractive pathway to functionalize coatings. The intrinsic properties of these natural compounds, e.g., antioxidant, antibacterial, or anti-inflammatory capacities, can be transferred to the coatings, providing functionalities to the entire system [4].…”