The effect of UV-photofunctionalization on the time-related bioactivity of titanium and chromium-cobalt alloys

Abstract

This study examined the possible changes in the bioactivity of titanium surfaces during their aging and investigated the effect of ultraviolet (UV) light treatment during the age-related change of titanium bioactivity. Rat bone marrow-derived osteoblastic cells were cultured on new titanium disks (immediately after either acid-etching, machining, or sandblasting), 4-week-old disks (stored after processing for 4 weeks in dark ambient conditions), and 4-week-old disks treated with UVA (peak wavelength of 365 nm) or UVC (peak wavelength of 250 nm). During incubation for 24 h, only 50% of the cells were attached to the 4-week-old surfaces as compared to the new surface. UVC treatment of the aged surface increased its cell attachment capacity to a level 50% higher than the new surfaces, whereas UVA treatment had no effect. Proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, and mineralization of cells were substantially lower on the 4-week-old surfaces than on the new surfaces, while they were higher on the UVC-treated 4-week-old surfaces as compared to the new surfaces. The age-related impaired bioactivity was found on all titanium topographies as well as on a chromium-cobalt alloy, and was associated with an increased percentage of surface carbon. Although both UVA and UVC treatment converted the 4-week-old titanium surfaces from hydrophobic to superhydrophilic, only UVC treatment effectively reduced the surface carbon to a level equivalent to the new surface. Thus, this study uncovered a time-dependent biological degradation of titanium and chromium-cobalt alloy, and its restoration enabled by UVC phototreatment, which surmounts the innate bioactivity of new surfaces, which is more closely linked to hydrocarbon removal than the induced superhydrophilicity.