In vitro evaluation of osteoblast adhesion on machined osseointegrated implants

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to assess the behavior in vitro of an osteoblastic cell lineage cultived on machined implant surface, by means of scanning electron microscopy.

METHODS: The cellular lineage used was Osteo-1. The cells in suspension were transferred to culture plates containing 15 ml of culture (DMEM), pH 7.4, 1% of antibiotic/antimycotic solution and 10% bovine fetal serum and were kept in an autoclave at of 37ºC, in a humid atmosphere containing 5% of CO2. The culture medium was removed and the cells in suspension were centrifuged at 3000 rpm for five minutes .A 106 cells per DMEM medium was prepared and plated onto three samples implants. The samples were incubated at 37ºC in a humidified atmosphere with 5% of CO2. After 24, 48 and 72 hours of plating, the samples were dehydrated and submitted to chemical drying. After washing, the samples were placed in vacuum chambers for gold sputtering and taken for analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

RESULTS: By SEM analysis, we observed a surface topography of clean titanium, without presence of foreign particles. After 24 hours the cells adhered on part of the machine surface of the implant. After 48 hours the cells presented a more defined morphology, with a compact and flat body and with short cytoplasmatic prolongations .After 72 hours we observe a favorable cell behavior by proliferation of cells over the machined titanium surface with cytoplasmatic prolongations accompanying the implant machining marks.

CONCLUSION: The studied surface is biocompatible, because it preserved the integrity of the cultivated cells for a period of 24 to 72 hours, maintaining their morphologic characteristics ; the present experiment demonstrate that the machined surface analyzed allowed adhesion and proliferation in vitro of an osteoblastic cellular lineage and showed an anisotropic behavior of the cells.