Tailoring cell behavior on polymers by the incorporation of titanium doped phosphate glass filler

Abstract

Understanding tissue response to materials, to enable modulation and guided tissue regeneration is one of the main challenges in biomaterials science. Nowadays polymers, glasses, and metals dominate as biomaterials. Often native properties of those materials are not sufficient and there is a need to combine them, so as to modify and adjust their properties to the application. The primary aim of this study was to improve cell response to polymer (PLDL) using phosphate glass as filler (titanium doped phosphate glass). As a control b-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) filler was used. Various concentrations of the filler were used (10-40 vol%). Wetting behavior, ζ-potentials, mechanical and thermal properties, and human cells response to the materials were evaluated. Results showed that with increase in glass filler loading wettability improved, ζ-potentials dropped, and increase in stiffness of materials was observed. Importantly cell culture experiments showed more developed and well spread cells on the samples with glass content up to 20 vol%. Cells responded much more positively to the glass filled samples than to TCP filled. However, expression of osteocalcin and osteopontin, proteins that indicate formation of the mineralized structures was positive for all the samples including pure PLDL. It was concluded that due to improved wetting behavior, lower z-potentials, and specific chemistry of the glass filler it was possible to alter cells response, improve bioactivity of the polymer, and vary mechanical properties. © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.