Osteogenic differentiation of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells on nanostructured Ti6Al4V and Ti13Nb13Zr.

Bone tissue engineering and nanotechnology enable the design of suitable substitutes to restore and maintain the function of human bone tissues in complex fractures and other large skeletal defects. Long-term stability and functionality of prostheses depend on integration between bone cells and biocompatible implants. Human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) have been shown to possess the same ability to differentiate into osteoblasts and to produce bone matrix of classical bone marrow derived stem cells (BMMSCs). Ti6A14V and Ti13Nb13Zr are two different biocompatible titanium alloys suitable for medical bone transplantation. Preliminary results from our Research Group demonstrated that smooth Ti6Al4V surfaces exhibit an osteoconductive action on hAMSCs, granting their differentiation into functional osteoblasts and sustaining bone matrix synthesis and calcification. The purpose of this study is to assay the ability of nanostructured Ti6Al4V and Ti13Nb13Zr alloys to preserve the growth and adhesion of hAMSCs and, mostly, to sustain and maintain their osteogenic differentiation and osteoblast activity. The overall results showed that both nanostructured titanium alloys are capable of sustaining cell adhesion and proliferation, to promote their differentiation into osteoblast lineage, and to support the activity of mature osteoblasts in terms of calcium deposition and bone extracellular matrix protein production.

Anodic Spark Deposition treatments to increase reliability of Ti6Al4V modular prostheses.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether an Anodic Spark Deposition treatment, which assures increased resistance of titanium alloys to fretting corrosion, improves the structural reliability of Ti6Al4V modular hip prostheses, thus preventing the recently noticed in vivo mechanical failures of these components due to fatigue events. METHODS: Three commercial treatments were tested in this work. Microhardness, roughness and fatigue resistance measurements were carried out to investigate the treatment performances. RESULTS: The experimental tests showed that the implant responded differently based on the treatment. The treatment that assured the best performances induced an increase in fatigue resistance with respect to the initial properties of the non-treated Ti6Al4V alloy. CONCLUSIONS: Since in previous research the same surface treatment was shown to prevent fretting corrosion phenomena, the study tests confirmed that the Anodic Spark Deposition treatment can significantly increase the structural reliability of Ti6Al4V multi-component prostheses.

The response of bone to nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite-coated Ti13Nb11Zr alloy in an animal model.

An in vivo study was carried out on uncoated and hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated nanostructured Ti13Nb11Zr alloy in comparison with high-grade Ti6Al4V, to investigate the effect of the different surfaces on osteointegration rate. A highly effective method to obtain a fast biomimetic deposition of a thin layer of nanocrystalline HA was applied to coat both substrates. Cylindrical pins were implanted in rabbit cortical bone and evaluated at 4 and 12 weeks by histomorphometry and microhardness tests. The results confirmed the ability of the slightly supersaturated Ca/P solution to induce a fast deposition of nanocrystalline HA on Ti alloys' surfaces. HA-coated Ti13Nb11Zr had the highest osteointegration rate at 4 and 12 weeks. Both HA-coated surfaces showed an affinity index significantly higher than those of native surfaces at 4 weeks (Ti13Nb11Zr+HA: 37%; Ti6Al4V+HA: 26%). Microhardness test showed a significantly higher bone mineralization index of HA-coated Ti13Nb11Zr in comparison with that of HA-coated Ti6Al4V surface. The study suggests that the HA coating on both alloys enhances bone response around implants and that there is a synergic effect of Ti-Nb-Zr alloy with the HA coating on bone remodeling and maturation.

In vitro differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells on Ti6Al4V surfaces.

Long-term stability of arthroplasty prosthesis depends on the integration between the bone tissue and the implanted biomaterials, which requires the contribution of osteoblastic precursors and their continuous differentiation into the osteoblastic phenotype. Classically, these interactions are tested in vitro using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated and ex vivo expanded from bone marrow aspirates. Human adipose tissue-derived stromal cells (AMSCs) may be a more convenient source of MSCs, according to their abundance and accessibility, but no data are available on their in vitro interactions with hard biomaterials. The aim of this work is to compare the osteogenic potential of human AMSCs and bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMMSCs) and to evaluate their response to Ti6Al4V alloy in terms of adhesion, proliferation and differentiation features, using the human osteosarcoma cell line SaOS-2 for comparison. The overall results showed that AMSCs have the same ability to produce bone matrix as BMMSCs and that Ti6Al4V surfaces exhibit an osteoinductive action on AMSCs, promoting their differentiation into functional osteoblasts and increasing bone formation. In conclusion, adipose tissue is a promising autologous source of osteoblastic cells with important clinical implications for bone tissue engineering.