Increased osteoblast adhesion on nanograined Ti modified with KRSR

Peptide sequences such as lysine-arginine-serine-arginine (KRSR) selectively bind transmembrane proteoglycans (e.g. heparin sulfate) of osteoblasts (bone-forming cells) and are, therefore, actively being investigated for orthopedic applications. Further, nanophase materials (or materials with grain or particle sizes less than 100 nm) are promising new materials that promote new bone growth more than compared to conventional (that is, micron grain or particle size) materials. To combine the above two promising approaches for improving orthopedic implants, the objective of this in vitro study was to functionalize titanium (Ti) surfaces (both nanophase and conventional) with KRSR peptides and study their osteoblast cell adhesive properties. Materials were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Results of this in vitro study provided evidence of increased osteoblast adhesion on nanophase compared to conventional Ti whether functionalized with KRSR or not. Results further showed that the immobilization of KRSR onto Ti (both nanophase and conventional) increased osteoblast adhesion compared to respective nonfunctionalized Ti and those functionalized with the negative control peptide KSRR. Most importantly, osteoblast adhesion on nonfunctionalized nanophase Ti increased compared to conventional Ti functionalized with KRSR. Further, select initial osteoblast adhesion was observed to occur at particle boundaries for any type of nanophase and conventional Ti formulated in this study. In summary, results provided evidence that not only should nonfunctionalized nanophase Ti be further studied for improved orthopedic applications but so should nanophase Ti functionalized with KRSR.