Effects of a cell adhesion molecule coating on the blasted surface of titanium implants on bone healing in the rabbit femur.

PURPOSE

One strategy to improve implant osseointegration is to control the quality of the bone reaction at the implant-bone tissue interface using an implant coated with biologically active substances. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a tetra-cell adhesion molecule (T-CAM) coating composed of 4 cell-adhesion molecules-an arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) sequence, a proline-histidine-serine-arginine-asparagine (PHSRN) sequence, a tyrosine-histidine sequence (YH), and a glutamic acid-proline-aspartic acid-isoleucine-methionine (EPDIM)-on the rough-surfaced titanium implant on peri-implant bone formation in the rabbit femur with poor local bone conditions and minimal primary stability.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Seven T-CAM-coated (blasted/T-CAM) and uncoated (blasted) implants with a rough surface (hydroxyapatite-blasted; Ra = 1.8 microm) were placed in slightly oversized beds of the metaphyses of the right and left femurs of 7 New Zealand White rabbits with light tactile pressure, and minimal primary stability was obtained. To evaluate the effects of T-CAM coating on the peri-implant bone healing response, histomorphometric analysis was performed 8 weeks after surgery. The 2 groups were compared using the Student t test, with a significance level of P < .05.

RESULTS

Compared to uncoated blasted implants at 8 weeks of healing, the blasted/T-CAM implants showed a significantly greater amount of bone-implant contact (BIC; P < .01) and new bone formation in the zones 0 to 100 microm and 0 to 500 microm lateral to the implant surface (P < .05) in the medullary space.

CONCLUSION

The T-CAM coating on the rough-surfaced titanium implants significantly enhanced peri-implant bone formation in rabbit femurs with poor local bone condition.