Proteomic analysis of bone proteins adsorbed onto the surface of titanium dioxide

• We identified bone proteins adhered on the surface of TiO2.
• Chromatography was an useful tool for investigating the layer adhered on the TiO2.
• The bone-TiO2 interface contained not only proteoglycans but also other proteins.
• Some of the adhered proteins showed mineralization capacity.

Osseointegration is the structural and functional connection between bone tissues and implants such as titanium dioxide (TiO2). The bone-TiO2 interface is thought to contain proteoglycans. However, exhaustive analysis of the proteins in this layer has not been performed. In this study, we evaluated the bone protein adhered on the surface of TiO2 comprehensively. Pig bone protein was extracted by sequential elutions with guanidine, 0.1 M EDTA, and again with guanidine. The proteins obtained from these extractions were allowed to adhere to an HPLC column packed with TiO2 and were eluted with 0.2 M NaOH. The eluted proteins were identified by LC/MS/MS and included not only proteoglycans but also other proteins such as extracellular matrix proteins, enzymes, and growth factors. Calcium depositions were observed on TiO2 particles incubated with bone proteins, guanidine-extracted proteins adhered to TiO2 displayed significantly high amounts of calcium depositions.