Osteogenicity of titanium implants coated with calcium phosphate or collagen type-I in osteoporotic rats

This study hypothesized that modification of titanium implant surface, e.g. by the deposition of inorganic/organic coatings, can significantly improve the implant-bone response compared in osteoporotic vs. healthy conditions. After osteoporosis was induced in 15 female Wistar rats by ovariectomy (OVX) and confirmed by in vivo micro-CT analysis, implants coated with calcium phosphate (CaP) or collagen type-I and non-coated implants were placed into bilateral femoral condyles. Another 15 sham-operated rats served as controls. Twelve weeks after implantation, micro-CT bone volume (%BV) and histomorphometrical bone area (%BA) were lower around control implants in osteoporotic rats (BV = 60.4%, BA = 43.8%) compared to sham-operated rats (BV = 74.0%, BA = 62.0%). Interestingly, CaP and collagen type-I surface coatings enhanced bone-to-implant contact (%BIC) compared to non-coated implants in osteoporosis (51.9%, 58.2%) as well as in sham-operated (69.7%, 64.4%) groups. The study confirmed that an osteoporotic condition has a significant effect on the amount of bone present in close vicinity to implants. Evidently, the use of osteogenic surface coatings has a favorable effect on the bone implant interface in both osteoporotic and sham-operated conditions.