Zr61Ti2Cu25Al12 metallic glass for potential use in dental implants: Biocompatibility assessment by in vitro cellular responses

In comparison with titanium and its alloys, Zr61Ti2Cu25Al12 (ZT1) bulk metallic glass (BMG) manifests a good combination of high strength, high fracture toughness and lower Young's modulus. To examine its biocompatibility required for potential use in dental implants, this BMG was used as a cell growth subtract for three types of cell lines, L929 fibroblasts, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), and osteoblast-like MG63 cells. For a comparison, these cell lines were in parallel cultured and grown also on commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti) and Ti6–Al4–V alloy (Ti64). Cellular responses on the three metals, including adhesion, morphology and viability, were characterized using the SEM visualization and CCK-8 assay. Furthermore, real-time RT-PCR was used to measure the activity of integrin β, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and type I collagen (COL I) in adherent MG63 cells. As indicated, in all cases of three cell lines, no significant differences in the initial attachment and viability/proliferation were found between ZT1, CP-Ti, and Ti64 until 5 d of incubation period. It means that the biocompatibility in cellular response for ZT1 BMG is comparable to Ti and its alloys. For gene expression of integrin β, ALP and COL I, mRNA level from osteoblast cells grown on ZT1 substrates is significantly higher than that on the CP-Ti and Ti64. It suggests that the adhesion and differentiation of osteoblasts grown on ZT1 are even superior to those on the CP-Ti and Ti64 alloy, then promoting bone formation. The good biocompatibility of ZT1 BMG is associated with the formation of zirconium oxide layer on the surface and good corrosion-resistance in physiological environment.

Quantitative analysis of Real-time PCR for MG63 cells cultured on Zr61Ti2Cu25Al12 BMG, CP-Ti, and Ti64 as well as plastic as a control at several incubation periods. Relative amounts of (a) integrin β, (b) ALP, and (c) COL I (*p < 0.05).Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights
► Cellular response to ZrTiCuAl BMG is comparable to Ti and Ti 6Al4V alloy.
► Osteoblast grown on BMG manifests higher activity of integrin β, ALP, COL I.
► Zr-oxide layer on BMG surface is responsible for its good biocompatibility.