Relative Evaluation for Biocompatibility of Pure Titanium and Titanium Alloys using Histological and Enzymatic Methods

Titanium or titanium alloy is a widely used implant material according to its certified biocompatibiity, sufficient strength and ready availability. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative biocompatibility of titanium and titanium alloy specimens (Ti-29Nb-13Ta, TiNb and Ti-6AI-4V, Ti64) using in vivo and in vitro methods. For in vivo experiment, the specimens were implanted in the abdominal subcutaneous region of female mice for 2 and 4 weeks. The reaction of connective tissue to specimens was evaluated histologically. The specimens were encapsulated by fibrous connective tissue consisting of fibroblast, fibrocyte and other cells including neutrophil, macrophage, giant multinucleated cell and unidentified cells. Some newly formed blood vessels were located in the fibrous capsule surrounding the implant. Cell types and the thickness of fibrous capsules were examined quantitatively. Most of cell types located in the fibrous capsule were fibroblasts and fibrocytes. The average thickness of fibrous capsules for the TiNb specimens was much thinner than that of the titanium alloy, Ti64. The thickness of the fibrous capsule around all titanium specimens decreased at 4 weeks compared to 2 weeks post-implantation. The biocompatibility of titanium and titanium alloy specimens were also investigated in in vitro method using alkaline phosphatase from MG-63 cells. Alkaline phosphatase activity of the TiNb specimen showed higher activity than the titanium alloy, Ti64. In conclusion, the TiNb alloy with thin capsule thickness in vivo and high alkaline phosphatase activity in vitro will be of considerable use in biomedical applications.