Decreased fibrous encapsulation and enhanced osseointegration in vitro by decorin-modified titanium surface

Orthopedic implants, using materials such as titanium, are extensively used in clinical surgeries. Despite its popularity, titanium is still inadequate to reliable osseointegration due to aseptic loosing. Fibrous encapsulation on the titanium implant interface prevents osseointegration and leads to the loosing of orthopedic implant. In this study, decorin was loaded on titanium surface by polydopamine film to examine fibrous encapsulation inhibition and bone growth acceleration. The coating of decorin was evaluated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and fluorescence microscopy. Quantitative analysis showed increased decorin coating on titanium surface when decorin in the loading solution increases. To test the effect of decorin modification, fibroblast and osteoblast cultures were utilized in vitro. The results showed that the functions of fibroblasts (proliferation, migration and collagen synthesis) were significantly attenuated on the decorin-modified surfaces and this anti-fibrous effect could be due to fibrotic gene suppression by decorin. In contrast, osteoblastic activities, such as calcium deposition and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, were enhanced by the modified decorin. These results suggest that decorin coating on titanium surface inhibited proliferation and function of fibroblasts and improved that of osteoblasts. Therefore, this study is potentially useful for enhancing orthopedic implant.