(166c) Assessment of Cell-Material Interactions on 3D Nanostructured Titania-Polymer Surfaces towards the Improvement of Osseointegration of Orthopedic and Dental Implants

Titanium is widely used as an implant material for bone, joint, and dental applications due to its excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility. The functional lifetime of bone implants range is limited and implant loosening and are significant problems. For example, a recent study reported that 25% of hip replacement surgeries were corrections to previously failed implants.

One of the established causes of these implant failures is osteolysis or bone tissue death at the biomaterial interface causing the implant becomes less fixed to the bone. To overcome this problem, various types of surface modifications of the Ti surface to promote osseointegration (or attachment to the bone) of the implant have been investigated. In this current work, we utilize porous titania, formed by electrochemical anodization of titanium as a template for the fabrication of polymer nanostructures on a surface. Osteoblasts are then grown on this modifided surface and their viability compared to that on a flat and unmodified porous titanium surfaces using MTT and pico green assays. This surface modification approach shows much promise for improving osteointegration of titanium implants.