An exploration of plastic deformation dependence of cell viability and adhesion in metallic implant materials

Improving the Bioactivity and Antibiofilm Properties of Metallic Implant Materials via Controlled Surface Microdeformation

Although metallic implants provide most of the required properties for bone-related applications, especially orthopedic implants, insufficient osseointegration, which may lead to loosening of the implant or prolonged healing time, is still an issue to be resolved. Osseointegration can be improved via application of various surface treatments on the metal surface. The current study focuses on a novel surface microdeformation method, which enables the formation of controlled surface patterns of various parameters. With this purpose, a surface microdeformation procedure was applied on 316L stainless steel surfaces, forming four different patterns which affected various surface parameters such as roughness, surface energy, dislocation activities close to the surface, and wettability. Static immersion tests in a simulated body fluid (SBF) environment showed that modifying the surface parameters via controlled surface patterning promoted the formation of a stable oxide layer and calcium-phosphate (CaP) deposition on the metal surfaces, improving bioactivity. Moreover, the higher amount of CaP deposition and oxide layer formation on the modified surfaces led to reduced ion release, which contributed to improved corrosion resistance. Finally, the effect of the formed surface patterns on antibiofilm formation was investigated via incubation with C. albicans for 24 h, which exhibited that microdeformation patterns remarkably inhibited the biofilm formation. Throughout the experiments, certain patterns yielded outstanding results among the four patterns formed. Overall, it was concluded that forming controlled patterns on stainless steel surfaces via surface microdeformation significantly contributed to the metal's biocompatibility via improving bioactivity, corrosion resistance, and antibiofilm formation properties. Especially, the specific surface properties such as increased surface energy, high surface roughness, and dislocation density close to the metal surface as well as increased hydrophilicity obtained via forming the pattern with relatively deeper and narrowly spaced indents yielded the most promising outcomes. These methodologies constitute novel approaches to be used while designing new methodologies for the surface modification of metallic implant materials for improved osseointegration.

In vitro contact guidance of glioblastoma cells on metallic biomaterials

Cancer cells' ability to sense their microenvironment and interpret these signals for the regulation of directional adhesion plays crucial role in cancer invasion. Furthermore, given the established influence of mechanical properties of the substrate on cell behavior, the present study aims to elucidate the relationship between the contact guidance of glioblastoma cell (GBM) and evolution of microstructural and mechanical properties of the implants. SEM analyses of the specimens subjected to 5 and 25% of plastic strains revealed directional groove-like structures in micro and submicro-sizes, respectively. Microscale cytoplasmic protrusions of GBMs showed elongation favored along the grooves created via deformation markings on 5% deformed sample. Whereas filopodia, submicro-sized protrusions facilitating cancer invasion, elongated in the direction perpendicular to the deformation markings on the 25% deformed sample, which might lead to easy and rapid retraction. Furthermore, number of cell attachment was 1.7-fold greater on 25% deformed sample, where these cells showed the greatest cellular aspect ratio. The directional attachment and contact guidance of GBMs was reported for the first time on metallic implants and these findings propose the idea that GBM response could be regulated by controlling the spacing of the deformation markings, namely the degree of plastic deformation. These findings can be applied in the design of cell-instructive implants for therapeutic purposes to suppress cancer dissemination.

Biocompatibility assessments of 316L stainless steel substrates coated by Fe-based bulk metallic glass through electro-spark deposition method

Metallic materials made of rather precious alloys are widely used in orthopedic surgery, circulatory system, and dentistry fields. Stainless steel coated by alloys with a variety of physiochemical properties can be an excellent candidate for making economical devices with superior biomedical compatibility. In this study, a Fe- based metallic glass alloy was applied on 316L stainless steel (316L SS) using the electro-spark deposition (ESD) method as an economic and easy handling method. The coated samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was found that a metallic glass coating was uniformly formed on the stainless steel substrate. Cytocompatibility (MTT assay), hemocompatibility, and cell attachment assays of the fabricated biomaterials were carried out using bone and connective tissue cell lines. The samples with optimized coating were shown to exert lower cytotoxicity, better cell attachment, and higher blood compatibility than the stainless steel substrates.

Corrosion performance of various deformed surfaces of implant steel for coronary stent applications: Effect of protein concentration

This work was done to systematically elucidate the corrosion behavior of austenitic stainless steel subjected to various degree of cold deformation (10 %, 20 % & 30 %). The experiments were performed in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution having different concentrations of bovine serum albumin (0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 g L^-1). Potentiodynamic polarization tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis were performed to obtain the corrosion parameters. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to determine the surface morphologies and chemical compositions of the surface films. Contact angle analysis was also used to detect the hydrophilic character of sample surfaces. The BSA had a considerable effect of inhibition on the corrosion of SSs in annealed as well as in deformed state due to its adsorption on surface of steel. For annealed samples, at 4.0 g L^-1BSA concentration, the corrosion resistance was drastically decreased but interestingly not for sample with more than 10 % deformation and the concentration effect of BSA is also not very significant after 0.5 g L^-1 for deformed surfaces. The breakdown potential for 30 % deformed sample is quite higher in presence of BSA even at 4.0 g L^-1 while it is lowest for annealed samples in the same condition. The variation in contact angle with deformation is very less after adsorption of BSA. On the basis of the obtained results, mechanism aspect for corrosion of steel in presence of protein is also deliberated.

Eliminating the negative effect of cold deformation on the corrosion resistance of austenitic stainless steel in the presence of a protein

Interaction of proteins with stainless steel subjected to cold deformation. The presence of a protein overcomes the negative effect of martensite formation on corrosion due to its adsorption.

Insights into Machining of a β Titanium Biomedical Alloy from Chip Microstructures

New metastable β titanium alloys are receiving increasing attention due to their excellent biomechanical properties and machinability is critical to their uptake. In this study, machining chip microstructure has been investigated to gain an understanding of strain and temperature fields during cutting. For higher cutting speeds, ≥60 m/min, the chips have segmented morphologies characterised by a serrated appearance. High levels of strain in the primary shear zone promote formation of expanded shear band regions between segments which exhibit intensive refinement of the β phase down to grain sizes below 100 nm. The presence of both α and β phases across the expanded shear band suggests that temperatures during cutting are in the range of 400–600 °C. For the secondary shear zone, very large strains at the cutting interface result in heavily refined and approximately equiaxed nanocrystalline β grains with sizes around 20–50 nm, while further from the interface the β grains become highly elongated in the shear direction. An absence of the α phase in the region immediately adjacent to the cutting interface indicates recrystallization during cutting and temperatures in excess of the 720 °C β transus temperature.

The determining role of nanoscale mechanical twinning on cellular functions of nanostructured materials

Considering that micromotions generated at the bone-implant interface under physiological loading introduce mechanical strain on the tissue and surface of the implant and that strain can be introduced during processing of the biomedical device, we elucidate here the interplay between mechanically-induced nanoscale twinning in austenitic stainless steel on osteoblast functions. Mechanically-induced nanoscale twinning significantly impacted cell attachment, cell-substrate interactions, proliferation, and subsequent synthesis of prominent proteins (fibronectin, actin, and vinculin). Twinning was beneficial in favorably modulating cellular activity and contributed to small differences in hydrophilicity and nanoscale roughness in relation to the untwinned surface.