Surface topography of Titanium (Ti) dental implants strongly influences osseointegration. In the present work, we have analyzed the influence of two Ti implant surfaces characterized by similar microtopography but different nanotopography and chemistry on the osteoblastic phenotype of Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSCs). The effect on osteogenic differentiation, extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell adhesion molecules production have been evaluated by means of molecular biology analyses. The morphology of the cells grown onto these surfaces has been analyzed with SEM and immunofluorescence (IF), and the safety of the surfaces has been tested by using karyotype analysis, Ames test and hemocompatibility assay. Results showed that starting from 15 days of DPSCs culture, a substantial expression of osteoblast specific markers and a strong increase of cell adhesion molecules can be detected. In particular, when DPSCs are seeded on the Ti implants expression of microRNA (miRNA)-196a, which is involved in osteoblastic commitment of stem cells, and of Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 (VCAM1), a factor involved in angiogenesis, is strongly enhanced.
Keywords: Dental implant; osseointegration ; surfaces; Nanotopography; Stem cells; Titanium; Titanium implants.