Implant surface activates fibroblasts: an in vitro study

Titanium (Ti) is that the most generally used material for dental, orthopedic and maxillofacial purposes thanks to its excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties. Several data suggest that prosthesis anchorage to bone and soft tissue are often modulated by surface characteristics. Fibroblasts are the soft tissues cells concerned in producing extracellular matrix and collagen and their tight connection to implant neck is of paramount importance in preventing peri-implant infection. The aim of this work is to grow Human Fibroblast (HFb) for seven days in wells containing (or not) dental implants. The expression levels of some adhesion and traction-resistance related genes (COL11A1, COL2A1, COL9A1, DSP, ELN, HAS1, and TFRC) were analyzed using Polymerase Chain Reaction. Our results demonstrated that several genes encoding for extracellular matrix proteins are activated so giving more insight to the comprehension of the mechanism of cell to surface adhesion.