The effect of UV-photofunctionalization on the time-related bioactivity of titanium and chromium-cobalt alloys

This study examined the possible changes in the bioactivity of titanium surfaces during their aging and investigated the effect of ultraviolet (UV) light treatment during the age-related change of titanium bioactivity. Rat bone marrow-derived osteoblastic cells were cultured on new titanium disks (immediately after either acid-etching, machining, or sandblasting), 4-week-old disks (stored after processing for 4 weeks in dark ambient conditions), and 4-week-old disks treated with UVA (peak wavelength of 365 nm) or UVC (peak wavelength of 250 nm). During incubation for 24 h, only 50% of the cells were attached to the 4-week-old surfaces as compared to the new surface. UVC treatment of the aged surface increased its cell attachment capacity to a level 50% higher than the new surfaces, whereas UVA treatment had no effect. Proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, and mineralization of cells were substantially lower on the 4-week-old surfaces than on the new surfaces, while they were higher on the UVC-treated 4-week-old surfaces as compared to the new surfaces. The age-related impaired bioactivity was found on all titanium topographies as well as on a chromium-cobalt alloy, and was associated with an increased percentage of surface carbon. Although both UVA and UVC treatment converted the 4-week-old titanium surfaces from hydrophobic to superhydrophilic, only UVC treatment effectively reduced the surface carbon to a level equivalent to the new surface. Thus, this study uncovered a time-dependent biological degradation of titanium and chromium-cobalt alloy, and its restoration enabled by UVC phototreatment, which surmounts the innate bioactivity of new surfaces, which is more closely linked to hydrocarbon removal than the induced superhydrophilicity. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.