Proliferation of Saos-2 and Ca9-22 cells on grooved and pillared titanium surfaces

Surface nanostructures in titanium (Ti) oral implants are critical for rapid osseointegration.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the growth of osteoblast-like (Saos-2) and epithelial-like (Ca9-22) cells on nanopatterned Ti films.

Ti films with 500 nm grooves and pillars were fabricated by nanoimprinting, and seeded with Saos-2 and Ca9-22 cells. Cell viability and morphology were assessed by cell proliferation assay and scanning electron microscopy, respectively.

As assessed after 1 hour, proliferation of Saos-2 cells was most robust on grooved films than on pillared and smooth films, in this order. These cells approximately doubled on grooved and pillared substrates in 24 hours and after 5 days, but not on smooth surfaces. In contrast, Ca9-22 cells favored smooth surfaces, followed by grooved and pillared films. Indeed, cells sparsely adhered to pillared films over 5 days of incubation (p < 0.05).

The data show that Saos-2 and Ca9-22 cells respond differently to different nanostructures, and highlight the potential use of nanopatterns to promote bone regeneration or to prevent epithelial downgrowth at the implant-bone interface.