Behavior of MC3T3-E1 Osteoblastic Cells Cultured on Titanium and Zirconia Surfaces: An In Vitro Study

Purpose: The goal from this in vitro study was to evaluate osteoblast protein expression of collagen type 1 (col 1) and osteopontin (OPN) on titanium surface treated with double etching compared with a zirconia implant surface. Materials and Methods: Discs were selected on both surfaces with respective treatments. Mouse MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells were tested for cell viability using the MTT assay. Subsequently, the quantification of col 1 and OPN secreted by osteoblastic cells plated on different surfaces was evaluated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Regarding the cell proliferation, statistical analysis showed no significant effect of surface-time interaction and viable cell count on the surfaces of titanium versus zirconia. No statistical differences between the surfaces of titanium and zirconia on cell viability was found. The zirconia surface expression of OPN was significantly higher, which occurred in all times. Furthermore, zirconia demonstrated significantly greater in col 1 expression in 48 and 96 hours compared with titanium. Conclusion: In this study, the zirconia surface demonstrated OPN and col 1 expression significantly higher as compared with titanium.