Titanium-based prosthetic implants are commonly used in Traumatology and Maxillofacial Surgery to achieve functional recovery of a severely damaged bones. Prosthetic replacements fail in the long term due to poor osseointegration, i.e. lack of chemical and structural bond between the metal and the surrounding bone tissue. Decorating the prostheses surface with specific molecular clues could promote a more favorable interaction of bone cells, leading to a better bone-metal integration. The RGD domain of fibronectin has been widely used in tissue engineering to decorate the surface of synthetic biomaterials, so as to promote a better cell-material interaction (1,2). Our objective was to assess if decorating the titanium surface with RGD domains would positively influence the relationship between bone cells and the metal surface of the prostheses, thus promoting a better osseointegration. Porous 3D scaffolds of Ti6AL4V ELI alloy were manufactured by Electron Beam Melting additive technology and decorated with RGD-tailored PAMAM dendrimers. Adhesion and proliferation of osteoprogenitor cells were monitored on both RGD-decorated and non-decorated controls. Our results suggest that the RGD-hemidendron provides a significantly more favorable molecular milieu to promote cell proliferation, thus accelerating the colonization of the prosthesis’ surface by bone cells. Therefore, the RGD-hemidendron coating might represent a promising strategy to improve prosthesis osseointegration.
References:
[1] “Extracellular matrix cell adhesion peptides: functional applications in orthopedic materials”, RG. LeBaron and KA. Athanasiou, Tissue Engineering Vol. 6, 85-103 (2000).
[2] “RGD modified polymers: biomaterials for stimulated cell adhesion and beyond”, U. Hersel, C. Dahmen and H. Kessler, Biomaterials Vol. 24, 4385-4415 (2003)
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