Neutron study of phospholipids 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-ethanolamine spray coating on titanium implants.

Permanent implants made from titanium are widely used and successfully implemented in medicine to address problems related to orthopedic and oral disorders. However, implants that interact in all cases optimally and durably with bone tissue have yet to be developed. Here, the authors suggest a phospholipids 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-ethanolamine (POPE) lipid coating to partially mimic the biological cell membrane. To improve the homogeneity of the POPE distribution on the metal surface, the lipids are applied by spray coating. It is shown that the spray coating leads to two types of multilamellar POPE structures. Our experimental results demonstrate that these coatings are stable in a liquid environment in the range of physiological temperatures due to the unique interbilayer interaction of POPE lipids. Additionally, the interaction of the POPE multilayer structure with human serum albumin is considered. A simultaneous analysis of the specular and off-specular data provides structural information necessary to assess the quality of the coating for future applications. (C) 2015 American Vacuum Society.