Engineering microdent structures of bone implant surfaces to enhance osteogenic activity in MSCs

Abstract

Problems persist with the integration of hip and dental implants with host bone tissues, which may result in long-term implant failure. Previous studies have found that implants bearing irregular surfaces can facilitate osseointegration. An improvement to this approach would use implant surfaces harboring a well-defined surface microstructure to decrease variability in implant surfaces. In this study, we tested whether well-defined surfaces with arrays of microdents (each with depth approximately 3µm) significantly affected the morphology, proliferation, and osteogenic activity of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Arrays of microdents tested had diameters of 9µm, 12µm, and 18µm, while spacing between arrays ranged from 8µm to 34µm. Effects on MSC morphology (cell spreading area) and proliferation were also quantified, with both significantly decreasing on micropatterned surfaces (p<0.05) on smaller and denser microdents. In contrast, MSCs were found to deposit more calcified matrix on smaller and denser arrays of microdents. MSCs on a pattern with arrays of microdents with a diameter of 9µm and a spacing 8µm deposited 3–4 times more calcified matrix than on a smooth surface (p<0.05). These findings show that well-defined surface microtopographies promote osteogenic activity, which can be used on implant surfaces to improve integration with the host bone tissue.