Orthopedic implant is commonly associated with occurrence or relapse of
osteomyelitis. This study developed a
hydrofluoric acid (HF) cleaned
silicon nitride (
Si3N4) implant
Si3N4_AC for
osteomyelitis control and established a rat tibial
osteomyelitis model to evaluate its efficacy on eradicating periprosthetic
infection and enhancing bone regeneration. In vitro studies revealed
Si3N4_AC had improved biocompatibility and inhibited Staphylococcus aureus adhesion. A custom-made
Si3N4_AC implant was prepared and inserted into the rat tibia longitudinal cavity inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus. The in vivo bacteriostatic and osteogenic efficacies of
Si3N4_AC implant were evaluated by histological, microbiological and Micro-CT analyses and compared with implants of pure Ti and
Si3N4 .
Si3N4_AC implant group revealed 99.5% inhibition of periprosthetic Staphylococcus aureus compared to the
osteomyelitis group after 14 days post-operation. Implant-adhering bacteria density of
Si3N4_AC was also much lower than pure Ti and
Si3N4. In addition, micro-CT evaluation of peri-implant bone formation under the condition of periprosthetic
osteomyelitis after 30 days post-surgery confirmed the osteogenic ability of
Si3N4_AC. Taken together,
Si3N4_AC can be an effective orthopedic
biomaterial to eradicate periprosthetic
infection and enhance bone regeneration.