RECENT PUBLICATIONS: Antibacterial activity and biocompatibility of three-dimensional nanostructured porous granules of hydroxyapatite and zinc oxide nanoparticles—an in vitro and in vivo study

INEB researchers recently published an article in the Nanotechnology, 28(1): 26(31):315101, epub 2015 Jul 16. . The article is entitled "Antibacterial activity and biocompatibility of three-dimensional nanostructured porous granules of hydroxyapatite and zinc oxide nanoparticles—an in vitro and in vivo study" and is authored byL Grenho, CL Salgado, MH Fernandes, FJ Monteiro, MP Ferraz.

Ceramic scaffolds are widely studied for bone tissue engineering however, adhesion of microorganisms on biomaterials is a critical step in implant-related infections. In this study, interconnected porous granules of nanohydroxyapatite incorporated with different amounts of ZnO nanoparticles were produced and evaluated. The composites proved to be especially effective at reducing bacterial activity in vitro and in vivo for a weight percentage of 2% ZnO, with a low cell growth inhibition in vitro and no differences in the connective tissue growth and inflammatory response in vivo. These results suggest that nanoHA-ZnO porous granules have a great potential to be used in orthopaedic and dental applications as a template for bone regeneration and, simultaneously, to restrain biomaterial-associated infections.