Loading of Fluvastatin onto Gelatin-Coated Titanium Implants

We aimed to investigate the effects of alumina blasting and alkaline treatment on the immobilization of gelatin-fluvastatin complexes on titanium disks. Blasted titanium disks were submicron-sized porous while the alkaline treated disks were submicron-and nanoporous. XPS analysis revealed homogeneous coverage of titanium disks with a gelatin layer on top of an intermediate polydopamine treatment. The highest amount of fluvastatin immobilization was observed on top of alkaline treated titanium as compared to the blasted disk. A combination of alkaline pre-treatment followed by polydopamine-assisted immobilization of gelatin facilitated optimal loading of fluvastatin onto titanium dental implants.