Titanium is widely used in medical devices, such as dental and orthopedic implants, due to its excellent mechanical properties, low toxicity, and biocompatibility. However, the titanium surface has the risk of microbial biofilm formation, which results in infections from species such as Candida albicans (C. albicans). This kind of biofilm prevents antifungal therapy and complicates the treatment of infectious diseases associated with implanted devices. It is critical to developing a feasible surface to decrease microbial growth while not interfering with the growth of the host cells. This study reports the influence of titanium surface modification to titanium disulfide (TiS2) on inhibiting C. albicans biofilm formation while allowing the attachment of human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) on their surface. The surface of titanium parts is directly converted to structured titanium and TiS2 using direct laser processing and crystal growth methods. C. albicans adhesion and colonization are then investigated on these surfaces by the colony counting assay and reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay, using 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA) and microscopy images. Also, the viability and adhesion of HGFs on these surfaces are investigated to show their adhesion and biocompatibility. Titanium samples with the TiS2 surface show both C. albicans biofilm inhibition and HGF attachment. This study provides insight into designing and manufacturing titanium biomedical implants.
Keywords: Biofilm inhibition; Biomedical implants; Laser processing; Surface modification; TiS2.