Tissue engineering has emerged as a promising approach for the repair and functional reconstruction of damaged tissues. The bionic and intelligentized scaffolds provide the structural support for cell growth and differentiation as well as tissue regeneration. The surface properties of the biological material implant, the nanotopology in particular, become key aspects in determining the success of the implant. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are widely favored by researchers as the seed cells in tissue engineering. Recently, it has been shown that nanotopographical characteristics of biomaterials regulate a wide range of MSC properties from their cellular behavior and differentiation potential. Herein, this review will provide an update on studies investigating the roles of nanotopography in the development of tissue engineering using MSC.
Despite the continuous improvement in perioperative use of antibiotics and aseptic techniques, the incidence of infection continues to rise as the need for surgery increasing and brings great challenges to orthopedic surgery. The rough or porous structure of the prosthesis provides an excellent place for bacterial adhesion, proliferation and biofilm formation, which is the main cause of infection. Traditional antibiotic therapy and surgical debridement are difficult to determine whether the infected focus have been removed completely and whether the infection will recur. In recent years, nanotechnology has shown obvious advantages in biomaterials and drug delivery. Nano drug carriers can effectively achieve local antimicrobial therapy, prevent surgical infection by local sustained drug release or intelligent controlled drug release under specific stimuli, and reduce the toxic side effects of drugs. The unique advantages of nanotechnology provide new ideas and options for the prevention and treatment of periprosthetic infection. At present, the application of nano-technology in the prevention and treatment of infection can be divided into the addition of nano-drug-loaded materials to prosthesis materials, the construction of drug-loaded nano-coatings on the surface of prosthesis, the perfusable nano-antimicrobial drug carriers, and the stimulation-responsive drug controlled release system. This article reviews the methods of infection prevention and treatment in orthopaedic surgery, especially the research status of nanotechnology in the prevention and treatment of periprosthetic infection.