EFFECT OF TITANIUM SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS ON CHONDROCYTES AND OSTEOBLASTS IN-VITRO

Material surfaces can directly influence cell response, ultimately aff ecting the rate and quality of new tissue formation. Initial events in clude oriented adsorption of molecules from the surrounding fluid, cre ating a conditioned interface to which the cell responds. Surface chem istry and energy determine the type and orientation of adsorbed molecu les, which then directs cellular attachment. Focal attachments between the cells and substrate determine cell shape which, when transduced v ia the cytoskeleton to the nucleus, may result in expression of specif ic phenotypes. Osteoblasts and chondrocytes are sensitive to subtle di fferences in surface roughness and surface chemistry. Cellular respons e also depends on the local environment and state of maturation of res ponding cells. Titanium (Ti) is one of the most commonly used material s in bone. Morphologic and cell adhesion studies have provided informa tion concerning the interface and initial interaction with Ti, while s tudies investigating the biochemical response of cells to Ti have lagg ed behind. The optimal surface characteristics necessary to predictabl y elicit good bone formation are still under investigation. In this pa per, we review how surface characteristics affect cellular response to implant materials and discuss studies suggesting that cell maturation state plays a role in cellular response to Ti.