Electrophoretic deposition of hydroxyapatite coating on Fecralloy and analysis of human osteoblastic cellular response

Hydroxyapatite has been successfully deposited onto Fecralloy substrate (a metal alloy with 22% Cr, 4.8% Al) by electrophoretic deposition in an attempt to promote the adhesion between coating and substrate, consequently to extend the lifetime of implants. Fecralloy has the ability to generate a dense and stable alpha-Al2O3 layer "in situ" during thermal treatment, which will highly improve the adhesion and the corrosion resistance of the coating system. Phases and morphologies of HA coating were found to vary after sintering according to XRD and SEM analysis. Besides the physicochemical characterization, the effects of the Fecralloy, thermally generated oxide layer, and HA coating on the early and late responses of osteoblasts in vitro were determined. Cellular morphology and proliferation were studied up to 7 days. Quantitative assays of mineralization were conducted up to 14 days. Osteoblasts showed increased cell spreading and cell proliferation on metal substrates, with significantly higher mineralization on HA coating. The results in this study proved that Fecralloy is a biocompatible metal and the HA coating on Fecralloy provides a good candidate for orthopaedic and dental implants. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.