Cytotoxicity of Ti–6Al–4V–5Cu Alloy to MC3T3-E1 Cells

Abstract

The aim of this work was to study the cytotoxicity of Ti–6Al–4V–5Cu (TC4–Cu) alloy for dental applications and evaluate the cell viability of different fabricated TC4–Cu alloys in contact with MC3T3-E1 cells in vitro. Ti–6Al–4V (TC4) alloy was used as a negative control to evaluate the cytotoxicity level of TC4–Cu alloy so as to provide basic support for the dental clinical application. Control group TC4 and experimental group TC4–Cu with different fabrications were incubated in the cell culture medium. The absorbance value of mouse osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells was detected by CCK-8 assay after 1, 3 and 7 days, respectively. The relative proliferation rate of cells was calculated, and then the toxicity level was valued for each group. Cell morphology on the surface was also studied by observing the cytoskeleton through F-actin filament staining. The experimental results showed that the absorbance values for the experimental and the negative control groups were not same at different time points. Compared with different fabricated TC4–Cu alloys, the annealing-TC4–Cu alloy showed much better biocompatibility. The mouse osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells cultured with annealing-TC4–Cu, rolling-TC4–Cu and solution + aging-TC4–Cu have no toxic effects, and these alloys could promote the proliferation of mouse osteoblasts.