Rolled-Up Metal Oxide Microscaffolds to Study Early Bone Formation at Single Cell Resolution

Titanium and its alloys are frequently used to replace structural components of the human body due to their high mechanical strength, low stiffness, and biocompatibility. In particular, the use of porous materials has improved implant stabilization and the promotion of bone. However, it remains unclear which material properties and geometrical cues are optimal for a proper osteoinduction and osseointegration. To that end, transparent tubular microscaffolds are fabricated, mimicking the typical pores of structural implants, with the aim of studying early bone formation and cell-material interactions at the single cell level. Here, a β-stabilized alloy Ti-45Nb (wt%) is used for the microscaffold's fabrication due to its elastic modulus close to that of natural bone. Human mesenchymal stem cell migration, adhesion, and osteogenic differentiation is thus investigated, paying particular attention to the CaP formation and cell-body crystallization, both analyzed via optical and electron microscopy. It is demonstrated that the developed platform is suited for the long-term study of living single cells in an appropriate microenvironment, obtaining in the process deeper insights on early bone formation and providing cues to improve the stability and biocompatibility of current structural implants.