Surface functionalization of chemically treated Ti6Al4V alloy with mentha piperita essential oil

Mentha piperita essential oil is a complex mixture of different natural biomolecules with proven antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, fungi and viruses [1] and it has been widely used in folk medicine for various applications. Despite its increasing use in phytotherapy, application of peppermint essential oil in medicine is still quite scarce and almost no research work considers its application in combination with biomaterials. On the other hand, the possibility to employ the antibacterial properties of this essential oil together with its low resistance development risk and its low toxicity is a challenging approach for the development of smart biomaterials for prosthetic applications. The aim of the work is to combine the antibacterial properties of peppermint essential oil with those of bioactive titanium alloy for applications in which good osteointegrability and antimicrobial effects are required.