Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the stability of arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptide coatings on implants by measuring the amount of peptide remaining after installation.
Materials and methods: Fluorescent isothiocyanate (FITC)-fixed RGD peptide was coated onto anodized titanium implants (width 4 mm, length 10 mm) using a physical adsorption method (P) or a chemical grafting method (C). Solid Rigid Polyurethane Foam (SRPF) was classified as either hard bone (H) or soft bone (S) according to its density. Two pieces of artificial bone were fixed in a customized jig, and coated implants were installed at the center of the boundary between two pieces of artificial bone. The test groups were classified as: P-H, P-S, C-H, or C-S. After each installation, implants were removed from the SRPF, and the residual amounts and rates of RGD peptide in implants were measured by fluorescence spectrometry. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for the statistical analysis (α=0.05).
Results: Peptide-coating was identified by fluorescence microscopy and XPS. Total coating amount was higher for physical adsorption than chemical grafting. The residual rate of peptide was significantly larger in the P-S group than in the other three groups (P<.05).
Conclusion: The result of this study suggests that coating doses depend on coating method. Residual amounts of RGD peptide were greater for the physical adsorption method than the chemical grafting method.
Keywords: Chemical grafting; Dental implant; Physical adsorption; Physical stability; RGD peptide.