Increased osteoblast cell density on nanostructured PLGA-coated nanostructured titanium for orthopedic applications

Lester J Smith¹, John S Swaim², Chang Yao³, Karen M Haberstroh³, Eric A Nauman^1,4,5, Thomas J Webster³

¹Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; ²Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA; ³Division of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA; ⁴School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; ⁵Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA

Abstract: There are more than 30,000 orthopedic implant revision surgeries necessary each year in part due to poor implant fixation with juxtaposed bone. A further emphasis on the current problems associated with insufficient bone implant performance is the fact that many patients are receiving hip implants earlier in life, remaining active older, and that the human lifespan is continuously increasing. Collectively, it is clear that there is a strong clinical need to improve implant performance through proper, prolonged fixation. For these reasons, the objective of the present in vitro study was to improve the performance of titanium (Ti), one of the most popular orthopedic implant materials. Accordingly, the proliferative response of osteoblasts (bone-forming cells) on novel nanostructured Ti/PLGA (poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid) composites was examined. This study showed that nano-topography can be easily applied to Ti (through anodization) and porous PLGA (through NaOH chemical etching) to enhance osteoblast cell proliferation which may lead to better orthopedic implant performance. This straight forward application of nano-topography on current bone implant materials represents a new direction in the design of enhanced biomaterials for the orthopedic industry.

Keywords: osseointegration, nano-scale topography, PLGA, titanium, tissue engineering, orthopedic implants