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Current research on surface modifications has yielded advanced implant biomaterials. Various implant surface modifications have been shown to be promising in improving bone target cell response, but more comprehensive studies whether certain implant surface modifications can directly target cell behavioural features such as morphogenesis and proliferation are needed. Here, we studied the response of primary alveolar bone cells on various implant surface modifications in terms of osteoblast morphology and proliferation in vitro. Analyses of surface modifications led to surface-related test parameters including the topographical parameters micro-roughness, texture aspect and surface enlargement as well as the physicochemical parameter surface wettability. We compared osteoblast morphology and proliferation towards the above-mentioned parameters and found that texture aspect and surface enlargement but not surface roughness or wettability exhibited significant impact on osteoblast morphology and proliferation. Detailed analysis revealed osteoblast proliferation as a function of cell morphology, substantiated by an osteoblast size- and morphology-dependent increase in mitotic activity. These findings show that implant surface topography controls cell behavioural morphology and subsequently cell proliferation, thereby opening the road for cell instructive biomaterials.

Ultraviolet (UV) light treatment of implant surfaces has been demonstrated to enhance their bioactivity significantly. This study examined the effect of UV treatment of different zirconia surfaces on the response of primary human alveolar bone-derived osteoblasts (PhABO). Disks of two zirconia-based materials with two different surface topographies (smooth, roughened) were exposed to UV light. Qualitative and quantitative assessment of PhABO on zirconia surfaces, by means of immunofluorescence, scanning electron microscopy and DNA quantification at 4 and 24 h revealed a higher number of initially attached osteoblasts on UV-treated surfaces. Cell area and perimeter were significantly larger on all UV-treated surfaces (p < 0.05). The proliferation activity was significantly higher on both roughened UV-treated surfaces than on untreated samples at day 3 of culture (p < 0.05). The expression levels of collagen I, osteopontin and osteocalcin at day 14 and alkaline phosphatase activity at day 7 and 14 of culture period were similar among UV-treated and untreated surfaces. Alizarin-Red-Staining at day 21 demonstrated significantly more mineralised nodules on UV-treated samples than on untreated samples. Contact angle measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that UV light transformed zirconia surfaces from hydrophobic to (super-) hydrophilic (p < 0.05) and significantly reduced the atomic percentage of surface carbon. The results showed that UV light pre-treatment of zirconia surfaces changes their physicochemical properties and improves their attractiveness against PhABO, primarily demonstrated by an augmented cell attachment and spreading. This may result in faster healing and better bone-to-implant contact of zirconia implants in vivo following such a pre-treatment.

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We describe a polymer chip with a grid-like architecture that it is intended for the three-dimensional cultivation of cells with an active nutrient and gas supply. The chip is typically made from polymethyl methacrylate or polycarbonate but can also be manufactured from biodegradable polymers, such as poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid). Different designs of the chip can be realized. In this study, we evaluated a chip with 506 microcontainers of the size of 300 x 300 x 300 microm that are capable of housing up to 6 million cells, and its suitability as a tissue-specific culture system for the carcinoma cell line HepG2 instead of primary liver cells. Related to an earlier study, where we could show the principal suitability of the system for rat primary cells, we here investigated the system's suitability for the human carcinoma cell line HepG2. The carcinoma cells were used in two different types of chip-containing bioreactors. By confocal laser scanning microscopy, we could show that cellular integrity in the chip culture was maintained and that there were no signs of apoptosis as confirmed by the absence of K18 fragmentation. Gene expression analysis of some liver-specific genes revealed a significantly higher expression of the phase II metabolism genes uridine-diphosphate- glucosyl-transferase (UGT1A1) and glutathione-S-transferase (GSTpi1) as a marker. Therefore, we conclude that by using a three-dimensional instead of a conventional monolayer culture system, hepatocellular carcinoma cells display a phenotype that resembles more closely the tissue of origin.

The development of long-lasting zirconia-based ceramics for implants, which are not prone to hydrothermal aging, is not satisfactorily solved. Therefore, this study is conceived as an overall evaluation screening of novel ceriastabilized zirconia-alumina-aluminate composite ceramics (ZA 8 Sr 8 -Ce11) with different surface topographies for use in clinical applications. Ceriastabilized zirconia is chosen as the matrix for the composite material, due to its lower susceptibility to aging than yttria-stabilized zirconia (3Y-TZP). This assessment is carried out on three preclinical investigation levels, indicating an overall biocompatibility of ceria-stabilized zirconia-based ceramics, both in vitro and in vivo. Long-term attachment and mineralized extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition of primary osteoblasts are the most distinct on porous ZA 8 Sr 8 -Ce11 p surfaces, while ECM attachment on 3Y-TZP and ZA 8 Sr 8 -Ce11 with compact surface texture is poor. In this regard, the animal study confirms the porous ZA 8 Sr 8 -Ce11 p to be the most favorable material, showing the highest bone-to-implant contact values and implant stability post implantation in comparison with control groups. Moreover, the microbiological evaluation reveals no favoritism of biofilm formation on the porous ZA 8 Sr 8 -Ce11 p when compared to a smooth control surface. Hence, together with the in vitro in vivo assessment analogy, the promising clinical potential of this novel ZA 8 Sr 8 -Ce11 as an implant material is demonstrated.