GROWTH AND DIFFERENTIATION OF HUMAN OSTEOBLAST-LIKE CELLS ON TI-6AL-4V ALLOY MODIFIED WITH ANODIZATION

Titanium and its alloys are widely used as hard tissue implants for their high biocompatibility and suitable physical properties. Along with other surface treatment methods, anodization technique is known to enhance osseointegration. The aim of this study is to evaluate the adhesion, growth and osteogenic differentiation of human osteoblast-like SAOS-2 cells on Ti-6Al-4V samples anodized in electrolytes composed of a stable volume of KOH (336.48 g/l) and variable volumes of liquid glass (124.47 g/l, 84,12 g/l and 37.38 g/l; samples s5, s6 and s7, respectively). Non-anodized Ti-6Al-4V samples, cell culture polystyrene (PS) and microscopic glass coverslips served as control materials. On days 2 and 4 after seeding, the cell number did not differ significantly among the tested samples. However, on day 7, the cell number on s6 samples reached the lowest values, which could be attributed to a non-homogeneous TiO2 film on s6 samples formed during anodization. Nevertheless, the osteogenic differentiation, estimated by the intensity of fluorescence of collagen I in cells grown in a differentiation medium, was the highest on s6 samples. On s5 samples, coated with homogeneous TiO2 films, both cell numbers and intensity of fluorescence of collagen I was relatively high. The bone matrix mineralization, evaluated by Alizarin Red staining, was the highest on s5 samples in standard culture medium, and similar on all tested samples in differentiation medium. Thus, the surface modification of s5 samples could be considered the most suitable for application in bone implants.