Polysaccharide Nanobiotechnology: A Case Study of Dental Implant Coating

Abstract

Surface modification of biomaterials and medical devices by polysaccharides is presently a topic of great interest, both at fundamental and applied levels. Plant polysaccharides constitute an untapped resource in this regard. The very self‐assembly properties of the polymers that the plant cell exploits during cell wall biogenesis may be exploited in assembly of contiguous coatings of medical devices and implants. Cell wall polysaccharides not only display advantageous physical properties but some are also known to be biologically active in a mammalian context. Bioactivities include anti‐inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects that are hypothesized to suppress rejection and promote implant integration. These activities are in most cases associated with polysaccharides of the pectin family. The present study thus focuses on engineering biocompatible surfaces using rhamnogalacturonan‐I. The target application is titanium dental implants and the study reports extensively on the methods used for surface characterization, both biological methods that probe biocompatability and nanotechnology methods used for the physical characterization of the modified surfaces.