Surface-induced modulation of human mesenchymal progenitor cells. An in vitro model for early implant integration

Clinical experience indicates that the surface architecture of dental implants has an important impact on their integration. This has been related to the finding that differentially treated substrates can modulate the expression of osteogenic markers in various bone-related cell lines and primary cells. Here, we investigated the influence of surface architecture on the differentiation of human mesenchymal progenitor cells (HMPC) from adult bone marrow, i. e. the cells likely involved in initial bone synthesis at the bone-implant interface. Cells were seeded on machine surfaced (MS) or sandblasted/acid etched (SE) titanium discs in agarose-coated dishes, and on polystyrene (PS) controls. On all substrates cell densities did not change between days 7 and 14. Cell numbers were higher on SE, likely due to increased attachment to the rougher material. Alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) was similar on all substrates, whereas mRNA expression of bone sialoprotein (BSP) at day 14 was about tenfold higher on SE (p < 0.05%). The SE-related increase of BSP in progenitor cells indicates an earlier differentiation of immigrated cells and could thus explain earlier implant integration and shorter time to functional loading observed in the clinic. The in vitro model and BSP quantification could be used to screen for changes in osteogenic cell differentiation induced by specific implant surfaces, with potential relevance on the prediction of bone-implant integration.