Behavior of two osteoblast-like cell lines cultured on machined or rough titanium surfaces

Two osteosarcoma-derived cell lines have been extensively used to investigate the biological events occurring on titanium surfaces: MG63 and Saos-2. However, the behavior of the two lines on different titanium surfaces has never been compared.

The aim of the present study was to compare the behavior of MG63 and Saos-2 cells on two different titanium surfaces, machined and rough (sandblasting and acid-etched). We compared cell proliferation and morphology, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and secretion of osteocalcin (OC).

The most pronounced difference between the two cell lines was that ALP activity in the Saos-2 cells was 10-fold higher than in the MG63 cells. The proliferation rate of the MG63 cells was much higher than that of the Saos-2 cells at all the tested cell concentrations. MG-63 cells, but not Saos-2 cells, grown on rough surface titanium proliferated more rapidly than cells grown on machined surfaces. Morphological analysis revealed that Saos-2 cells and cells grown on the rougher surface, displayed a more mature phenotype. The level of OC secreted by the Saos-2 cells, but not the MG63 cells, were higher on the rough surface than on the machined surface.

This study shows that Saos-2 cells exhibit a more mature osteoblast phenotype, compared with that of MG63 cells, rendering them a good candidate for an in vitro model of osseointegration.