Enhancement of local bone remodeling in osteoporotic rabbits by biomimic multilayered structures on Ti6Al4V implants

To enhance long-term survival of titanium implants in patients with osteoporosis, chitosan/gelatin multilayers containing bone morphogenetic protein 2(BMP2) and an antiosteoporotic agent of calcitonin (CT) are deposited on the Ti6Al4V (TC4) implants through layer-by-layer (LBL) electrostatic assembly technique. Here, the obtained titanium alloy implant (TC4/LBL/CT/BMP2) can regulate the release of loaded calcitonin and BMP2 agents in a sustaining manner to accelerate the bone formation and simultaneously inhibit bone resorption. In vitro results show that the bone-related cells on TC4/LBL/CT/BMP2 present the lowest production level of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) but the highest (p < 0.05) level of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, osteocalcin production, mineralization capacity and osteoblast-related gene expression among all groups after treatment for 7 or 21 days, respectively. Besides, in vivo studies of micro-CT analysis, routine histological and immunohistochemical analysis also collectively demonstrate that the TC4/LBL/CT/BMP2 implant can dramatically promote the formation and remodeling of new bone in osteoporotic rabbits after implantation for 30 days and 90 days, respectively. In vivo push-out testing further confirms that the TC4/LBL/CT/BMP2 implant has the highest (p < 0.01) interfacial shear strength and favorable bone-implant osseointegration. Overall, this study establishes a simple and profound methodology to fabricate a biofunctional TC4 implant for the treatment of local osteoporotic fractures in vivo. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 1437-1451, 2016.