ObjectiveThis study was performed to fabricate a bionic coating with titanium (Ti) phosphate to promote the osseointegration of Ti substrate implants.
MethodsPhosphorylated micro/nanocoating was prepared on the surface of pure titanium (i.e., TiP-Ti) by hydrothermal process under special pressure, and the untreated smooth pure titanium (cp-Ti) was selected as the control. To evaluate the characteristics of the coating surface, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and contact-angle measurement were performed. In addition, the effects of TiP-Ti on the proliferation, adhesion, and differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were investigated by usingin vitrocytology. Finally, TiP-Ti implants were implanted into the rat tibia, and the effect of TiP-Ti on the osseointegration in the host was evaluated after 12 weeks.
ResultsThe TiP-Ti surface presented a bionic structure with coexisting nanoscale 3D spatial structure and microscale pores.In vitroexperiments showed that the BMSCs had enhanced adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation on the TiP-Ti surface. Furthermore,in vivo, TiP-Ti showed considerably stronger osseointegration compared with pure titanium, and the ultimate shear strength and maximum pushing force were significantly improved.
ConclusionA bionic structure with TiP-Ti micro/nanoscale coating was successfully fabricated, indicating a promising method for modifying the surface of implants.
