Functionalization of titanium dioxide nanotubes with biomolecules for biomedical applications

•Functionalized TNTs with biomolecules has been a viable alternative for the manufacturing of implants and biosensors;•Biomolecules immobilized in TNTs may improve osteogenic response of MSCs and osteoblasts and prevent bacterial adhesion;•Controlled release drug from TNTs may be obtained through biomolecules;•Functionalization of TNTs with lectins should be encouraged to improve the biocompatibility of implants and use in biosensors.

Titanium (Ti) and its alloys are extensively used in the manufacture of implants because they have biocompatibility. The production of a nanostructured surface can be achieved by means of titanium dioxide nanotubes (TNTs) which can have dimensions equivalent to the nanometric components of human bone, in addition to increasing the efficiency of such implants. The search is ongoing for ways to improve the performance of these TNTs in terms of their functionalization through coating these nanotubular matrices with biomolecules. The biocompatibility of the functionalized TNTs can be improved by promoting rapid osseointegration, by preventing the adhesion of bacteria on such surfaces and/or by promoting a more sustained local release of drugs that are loaded into such TNTs. In addition to the implants, these nanotubular matrices have been used in the manufacture of high-performance biosensors capable of immobilizing principally enzymes on their surfaces, which has possible use in disease diagnosis. The objective of this review is to show the main techniques of immobilization of biomolecules in TNTs, evidencing the most recent applications of bioactive molecules that have been functionalized in the nanotubular matrices for use in implants and biosensors. This surveillance also proposes a new class of biomolecules that can be used to functionalize these nanostructured surfaces, lectins.