Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate cellular behavior on nanoscale features of a titanium surface by controlling the deposition time in NaOH. These effects were then evaluated for osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow cells to potentially increase the success rate of titanium implants. Titanium disks were left untreated or soaked in 10 M NaOH for 5 min, and 1h, 3h, 9h and 24 h. Scanning electron and probe microscopy were used to evaluate the nanoscale features. Rat bone marrow cells were seeded on the specimens in osteo-genic differentiation medium. Alkaline phosphatase activity, osteocalcin production, and mineralization were then analyzed. Statistical significance was analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey test. Nanofeatures were detected at 1 h after NaOH treatment and were well established at 9 h. Alkaline phosphatase activities of specimens soaked for 1 h or 3 h were significantly different from specimens soaked for 9 h or 24 h after 14 days of differentiation. Osteocalcin production and calcium deposition between untreated specimens and specimens soaked for 5 min, as well as between specimens soaked for 9 h and 24 h, were significantly different after 21 days. It was found that the nanoscale modification of a titanium implant surface by NaOH treatment affects osteoblastic differentiation of bone marrow cells and enhances mineralization. This study found that modification of titanium surfaces with NaOH could be an effective method of improving their biological properties. Further developments in nanotechnology may help improve osseointegration of titanium implants.
