Mechanical examinations on dental implants with porous titanium coating

Magnesium-Doped Nano-Hydroxyapatite/Polyvinyl Alcohol/Chitosan Composite Hydrogel: Preparation and Characterization

Background

Polyvinyl alcohol/Chitosan hydrogel is often employed as a carrier because it is non-toxic, biodegradable, and has a three-dimensional network structure. Meanwhile, Magnesium-doped nano-hydroxyapatite(Mg-nHA) demonstrated high characterization to promote the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cell(BMSCs). Therefore, in order to develop a porous hydrogel scaffold for the application of bone tissue engineering, an appropriate-type Mg-nHA hydrogel scaffold was developed and evaluated.

Methods

A composite hydrogel containing magnesium-doped nano-hydroxyapatite (Mg-nHA/PVA/CS) was developed using a magnetic stirring-ion exchange method and cyclic freeze-thaw method design, with polyvinyl alcohol and chitosan as the main components. Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), electron energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to analyze the chemical structure, porosity, and elemental composition of each hydrogels. The equilibrium swelling degree, moisture content, pH change, potential for biomineralization, biocompatibility, the osteogenic potential and magnesium ion release rate of the composite hydrogel were also evaluated.

Results

SEM analysis revealed a well-defined 3D spatial structure of micropores in the synthesised hydrogel. FTIR analysis showed that doping nanoparticles had little effect on the hydrogel's structure and both the 5% Mg-nHA/PVA/CS and 10% Mg-nHA/PVA/CS groups promoted amide bond formation. EDS observation indicated that the new material exhibited favourable biomineralization ability, with optimal performance seen in the 5% Mg-nHA/PVA/CS group. The composite hydrogel not only displayed favourable water content, enhanced biocompatibility, and porosity (similar to human cancellous bone), but also maintained an equilibrium swelling degree and released magnesium ions that created an alkaline environment around it. Additionally, it facilitated the proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and their osteogenic differentiation.

Conclusion

The Mg-nHA/PVA/CS hydrogel demonstrates significant potential for application in the field of bone repair, making it an excellent composite material for bone tissue engineering.

Exploring Macroporosity of Additively Manufactured Titanium Metamaterials for Bone Regeneration with Quality by Design: A Systematic Literature Review

Additive manufacturing facilitates the design of porous metal implants with detailed internal architecture. A rationally designed porous structure can provide to biocompatible titanium alloys biomimetic mechanical and biological properties for bone regeneration. However, increased porosity results in decreased material strength. The porosity and pore sizes that are ideal for porous implants are still controversial in the literature, complicating the justification of a design decision. Recently, metallic porous biomaterials have been proposed for load-bearing applications beyond surface coatings. This recent science lacks standards, but the Quality by Design (QbD) system can assist the design process in a systematic way. This study used the QbD system to explore the Quality Target Product Profile and Ideal Quality Attributes of additively manufactured titanium porous scaffolds for bone regeneration with a biomimetic approach. For this purpose, a total of 807 experimental results extracted from 50 different studies were benchmarked against proposed target values based on bone properties, governmental regulations, and scientific research relevant to bone implants. The scaffold properties such as unit cell geometry, pore size, porosity, compressive strength, and fatigue strength were studied. The results of this study may help future research to effectively direct the design process under the QbD system.

Fabrication of porous titanium implants by three-dimensional printing and sintering at different temperatures

This study evaluated the feasibility of using three-dimensional printing (3DP) to fabricate porous titanium implants. Titanium powder was blended with a water-soluble binder material. Green, porous, titanium implants fabricated by 3DP were sintered under protective argon atmosphere at 1,200, 1,300, or 1,400°C. Sintered implant prototypes had uniform shrinkage and no obvious shape distortion after sintering. Evaluation of their mechanical properties revealed that titanium prototypes sintered at different temperatures had elastic modulus of 5.9-34.8 GPa, porosity of 41.06-65.01%, hardness of 115.2-182.8 VHN, and compressive strength of 81.3-218.6 MPa. There were significant differences in each type of these data among the different sintering temperatures (p<0.01). Results of this study confirmed the feasibility of fabricating porous titanium implants by 3DP: pore size and pore interconnectivity were conducive to bone cell ingrowth for implant stabilization, and the mechanical properties matched well with those of the human bone.

Modified Titanium Surface-Mediated Effects on Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cell Response

Surface modification of titanium implants is used to enhance osseointegration. The study objective was to evaluate five modified titanium surfaces in terms of cytocompatibility and pro-osteogenic/pro-angiogenic properties for human mesenchymal stromal cells: amorphous microporous silica (AMS), bone morphogenetic protein-2 immobilized on AMS (AMS + BMP), bio-active glass (BAG) and two titanium coatings with different porosity (T1; T2). Four surfaces served as controls: uncoated Ti (Ti), Ti functionalized with BMP-2 (Ti + BMP), Ti surface with a thickened titanium oxide layer (TiO₂) and a tissue culture polystyrene surface (TCPS). The proliferation of eGFP-fLuc (enhanced green fluorescence protein-firefly luciferase) transfected cells was tracked non-invasively by fluorescence microscopy and bio-luminescence imaging. The implant surface-mediated effects on cell differentiation potential was tracked by determination of osteogenic and angiogenic parameters [alkaline phosphatase (ALP); osteocalcin (OC); osteoprotegerin (OPG); vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A)]. Unrestrained cell proliferation was observed on (un)functionalized Ti and AMS surfaces, whereas BAG and porous titanium coatings T1 and T2 did not support cell proliferation. An important pro-osteogenic and pro-angiogenic potential of the AMS + BMP surface was observed. In contrast, coating the Ti surface with BMP did not affect the osteogenic differentiation of the progenitor cells. A significantly slower BMP-2 release from AMS compared to Ti supports these findings. In the unfunctionalized state, Ti was found to be superior to AMS in terms of OPG and VEGF-A production. AMS is suggested to be a promising implant coating material for bioactive agents delivery.

Bone tissue response to porous and functionalized titanium and silica based coatings

Background

Topography and presence of bio-mimetic coatings are known to improve osseointegration. The objective of this study was to evaluate the bone regeneration potential of porous and osteogenic coatings.

Methodology

Six-implants [Control (CTR); porous titanium coatings (T1, T2); thickened titanium (Ti) dioxide layer (TiO₂); Amorphous Microporous Silica (AMS) and Bio-active Glass (BAG)] were implanted randomly in tibiae of 20-New Zealand white rabbits. The animals were sacrificed after 2 or 4 weeks. The samples were analyzed histologically and histomorphometrically. In the initial bone-free areas (bone regeneration areas (BRAs)), the bone area fraction (BAF) was evaluated in the whole cavity (500 µm, BAF-500), in the implant vicinity (100 µm, BAF-100) and further away (100–500 µm, BAF-400) from the implant. Bone-to-implant contact (BIC-BAA) was measured in the areas where the implants were installed in contact to the host bone (bone adaptation areas (BAAs)) to understand and compare the bone adaptation. Mixed models were used for statistical analysis.

Principal Findings

After 2 weeks, the differences in BAF-500 for different surfaces were not significant (p>0.05). After 4 weeks, a higher BAF-500 was observed for BAG than CTR. BAF-100 for AMS was higher than BAG and BAF-400 for BAG was higher than CTR and AMS. For T1 and AMS, the bone regeneration was faster in the 100-µm compared to the 400-µm zone. BIC-BAA for AMS and BAG was lower after 4 than 2 weeks. After 4 weeks, BIC-BAA for BAG was lower than AMS and CTR.

Conclusions

BAG is highly osteogenic at a distance from the implant. The porous titanium coatings didn't stimulate bone regeneration but allowed bone growth into the pores. Although AMS didn't stimulate higher bone response, it has a potential of faster bone growth in the vicinity compared to further away from the surface. BIC-BAA data were inconclusive to understand the bone adaptation.