Osteogenesis Performance of Boronized Ti6Al4V/HA Composites Prepared by Microwave Sintering: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies

Abstract

The boronized Ti6Al4V/HA composite is deemed to be an important biomaterial because of its potential remarkable mechanical and biological properties. This paper reports the osteogenesis performance of the boronized Ti6Al4V/HA composite, which was prepared by microwave sintering of powders of Ti6Al4V, hydroxyapatite (HA), and TiB2 in high-purity Ar gas at 1050 °C for 30 min, as dental implant based on both cell experiments in vitro and animal experiments in vivo. The comparison between the boronized Ti6Al4V/HA composite and Ti, Ti6Al4V, and boronized Ti6Al4V in the terms of adhesion, proliferation, alkaline phosphate (ALP) activity, and mineralization of MG-63 cells on their surfaces confirmed that the composite exhibited the best inductive osteogenesis potential. It exerted a more significant effect on promoting the early osteogenic differentiation of osteoblasts and exhibited the maximum optical density (OD) value in the MTT assay and the highest levels of ALP activity and mineralization ability, primarily ascribed to its bioactive HA component, porous structure, and relatively rough micro-morphology. The in vivo study in rabbits based on the micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) analysis, histological and histomorphometric evaluation, and biomechanical testing further confirmed that the boronized Ti6Al4V/HA composite had the highest new bone formation potential and the best osseointegration property after implantation for up to 12 weeks, mainly revealed by the measured values of bone volume fraction, bone implant contact, and maximum push-out force which, for example, reached 48.64%, 61%, and 150.3 ± 6.07 N at the 12th week. Owing to these inspiring features, it can serve as a highly promising dental implant.

Hydroxyapatite Coating on Ti-6Al-7Nb Alloy by Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation in Salt-Based Electrolyte

“…Hence, several methods are used to synthesize HA coatings, including the sol-gel method [ 23 ], electrophoretic and electrochemical deposition [ 24 , 25 ], microwave sintering [ 26 ], 3D printing [ 27 ], magnetron sputtering [ 28 ], and others. However, most of these methods are associated with high process temperatures, which affects the microstructure of the implant material and, consequently, its bioactivity and biocompatibility.…”

Boron- and Boric Acid-Treated Titanium Implant Surfaces in Sheep Tibia: A Histologic, Histomorphometric and Mechanical Study

“…Such incidents were merely reported by some studies [ 13 ], and this might be due to the location of the axial sections corresponding to a weak or compromised site, finally resulting in a low or discordant BIC% value. However, the lack of any inflammatory reactions or any adverse event in the histologic slices and the X-ray images of all B-treated surface groups proved the high biocompatibility of B in its present form and application [ 32 , 33 , 34 ].…”

Microwave-assisted synthesis of composites based on titanium and hydroxyapatite for dental implantation

“…8. 73 Obviously, the relatively low in situ conversion of TiB 2 might have a negative impact on the mechanical properties and even biocompatibility of the composite. This problem needs to be overcome and deserves more attention (Table 3).…”