Surface Characterization and Cell-Material Interaction of Anodized Dental Implants

In this study, Ti-15Zr substrates were anodized using an electrochemical process in order to obtain a nanotubular surface. Three different electrochemical voltages (20 V, 30 V and 40 V) were chosen to investigate their effect on the behavior of MG63 cells. The nanotubular Ti-Zr substrates were then characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The behavior of MG63 cell on the anodized and non-anodized samples was investigated using MTT assay, fluorescence microscopy, and FESEM. The results show that by increasing the anodization voltage (20V to 40V), the diameter of nanotubes is increased from 20 ± 5 nm (20 V) to 100 nm (40 V). Furthermore, the effect of variation in potential on the behavior of cells demonstrates that the anodized samples can provide desirable surface for cellular adhesion; moreover, it was found that the smaller nanotubes can provide better focal contact for the cells to adhere and proliferate. This study demonstrates that the anodization of commercially available Ti-Zr dental implants can be a promising solution to enhance the MG63 cell adhesion and thus improve its osteogeneses behavior.