Size selective behavior of mesenchymal stem cells on ZrO2 and TiO2 nanotube arrays

Abstract

This work reports on the behavior of mesenchymal stem cells on anodic ZrO(2) nanotube layers grown by a self-ordering process on zirconium with defined diameters between 10 and 50 nm. It is demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells show a size-specific reaction to these nanoscale patterned surfaces. We compare the behavior on these ZrO(2) nanotubes to findings on TiO(2) nanotubes of different diameters. For both nanotube materials, TiO(2) and ZrO(2), cell adhesion and spreading are enhanced for nanotube diameters of approximately 15-30 nm, while a strong decay in cell activity is observed for diameters >50 nm. Focal complex formation on adherent cells is selectively modulated by the specific nanoscale. Moreover, even if the surface chemistry of the nanotubes is completely modified with a dense AuPd coating onto the formed nanotube layers, or the length of the nanotubes is varied, the observed nano size effects still prevail. This demonstrates how strong the pure geometric diameter dependence in the range between 15 and 100 nm dominates over other possible effects on cell activity.

Nanoscale TiO₂ nanotubes as a basis for governing cell behaviors and application challenges

“…Similarly, Park et al 4 reported that the biological behaviors of cells on nanotube coatings indicated that nanotubes with a diameter of 15-30 nm served as ideal materials to promote cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. 5 The topic of this study is of significance for future localized therapeutics of both cancer and bone-related disorders. We appreciate the methodology of the study; nevertheless, we believe that the observations performed by the authors and their conclusions deserve further comment.…”

Nanoscale TiO2 nanotubes govern the biological behavior of human glioma and osteosarcoma cells

“…34 The biological behaviors of connective tissue cells on the nanotube coating indicate that nanotubes with a diameter of 15-30 nm can be used as ideal materials to promote integrin assembly into focal adhesion complexes. 24 However, when the diameter is larger than a certain threshold, 35 the nanotubes will no longer support the integrin assembly. Therefore, cell migration and spreading are subject to certain constraints.…”

Facile electrochemical synthesis of antimicrobial TiO2 nanotube arrays

“…In recent years, researchers have shown much interest in TiO 2 nanotubes (TiNTs) due to their unique properties for bio-applications. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] TiNT structures are particularly interesting because of their large specific surface areas and tube-like structure, which may supply many more reactive sites for the reaction. Due to the antimicrobial function of Ag nanoparticles, depositing Ag on TiNTs may bring better performance for biomedical implants.…”