Improvement of Adhesion and Spreading of Human Gingival Fibroblasts to RGD-grafted Titanium Surface

Abstract

Objective: Arg-Gly-Asp(RGD)-containing peptide was coupled on titanium surface of dental implants. It is confirmed that this peptide promotes human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) adhesion during the early stage after implantation was tested. Methods: RGD peptides were attached covalently to the titanium surface by 1,1'-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI). Primary HGFs were inoculated on commercially pure titanium and RGD-grafted titanium respectively. Cell attachment and proliferation was assessed by acridine orange staining technology. Cell spreading were checked by immunofluorescence staining and confocal laser scanning microscope. Results: The number of attached and proliferated HGFs and their average spreading area were higher on RGD modified titanium than on unmodified titanium. The actin cytoskeleton reorganization existed earlier on RGD coated samples than on uncoated ones. Conclusions: This research may develop a new potential method to enhance the integration between human gingival soft tissue and titanium implant surfaces.