Osseointegration improvement by plasma electrolytic oxidation of modified titanium alloys surfaces

Titanium (Ti) is a material frequently used in orthopedic applications, due to its good mechanical properties and high corrosion resistance. However, formation of a non-adherent fibrous tissue between material and bone drastically could affect the osseointegration process and, therefore, the mechanical stability of the implant. Modifications of topography and configuration of the tissue/material interface is one of the mechanisms to improve that process by manipulating parameters such as morphology and roughness. There are different techniques that can be used to modify the titanium surface; plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) is one of those alternatives, which consists of obtaining porous anodic coatings by controlling parameters such as voltage, current, anodizing solution and time of the reaction. From all of the above factors, and based on previous studies that demonstrated that bone cells sense substrates features to grow new tissue, in this work commercially pure Ti (c.p Ti) and Ti6Al4V alloy samples were modified at their surface by PEO in different anodizing solutions composed of H2SO4 and H3PO4 mixtures. Treated surfaces were characterized and used as platforms to grow osteoblasts; subsequently, cell behavior parameters like adhesion, proliferation and differentiation were also studied. Although the results showed no significant differences in proliferation, differentiation and cell biological activity, overall results showed an important influence of topography of the modified surfaces compared with polished untreated surfaces. Finally, this study offers an alternative protocol to modify surfaces of Ti and their alloys in a controlled and reproducible way in which biocompatibility of the material is not compromised and osseointegration would be improved.