Effects of titanium oxide surface properties on bone-forming and soft tissue-forming cells

Previous studies have concluded that certain titanium oxide (TiO₂ ) surface properties promote bone-forming cell attachment. However, no comprehensive studies have investigated the effects of TiO₂ surface and film morphology on hard and soft tissues.

The aim of this study is to understand the effects of TiO₂ morphology on the proliferation and differentiation of murine preosteoblasts (MC3T3-E1) and proliferation of human gingival fibroblasts (HGF-1) using in vitro experiments.

Samples were fabricated with several TiO₂ thickness and crystalline structure to mimic various dental implant surfaces. in vitro analysis was performed for 1, 3, and 7 days on these samples to assess the viability of MC3T3-E1 and HGF-1 cells in contact with the modified oxide surfaces.

Results showed that HGF-1 cells exhibited no significant difference in viability on modified oxide surfaces versus a titanium control across experiments. MC3T3-E1 cells exhibited a significantly higher viability for the modified oxide surface in 1 day experiments, but not in 3 or 7 day experiments. Alkaline phosphatase expression in MC3T3-E1 was not significantly different on modified oxide surfaces versus the control across all experiments. A slight positive trend in viability was observed for cells in contact with rougher modified oxide surfaces versus a titanium control in both cell types.

These observations suggest that crystallinity and thickness do not affect the long-term viability of hard or soft tissue cells when compared to a cpTi surface. Therefore, treatments like anodization on implant components may not directly affect the attachment of hard or soft tissue cells in vivo.