Enhanced Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Ti Surfaces with Electrochemical Nanopattern Formation

Abstract

To increase bone regeneration around a titanium implant, nanopattern surfaces with 10 nm nanopores in 120 nm dimples were produced by electrochemical nanopattern formation (ENF). The ENF surfaces were obtained by removing the TiO2 nanotube layers prepared by an anodization process. To determine the effect of the ENF surface in vitro, cell proliferation assays, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assays, Alizarin red staining, western blotting, and immunocytochemistry were performed. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that the ENF surface had an ultrafine surface roughness with highly aligned nanoporous morphology. In vitro, human mesenchymal stem cells exhibited increased cell proliferation and enhanced expression of osteogenic molecules such as ALP, osteopontin, and osteocalcin on ENF surfaces compared to the TiO2 nanotube surfaces. Therefore, ENF is a promising technique for coating osteointegrative implant materials.