In vivo and in vitro response to electrochemically anodized Ti-6Al-4V alloy

Abstract

Tissues’ reactions to metals depend on a variety of properties of the metal, most notably surface structure. Anodizing has been shown to alter the surface properties of metal, thus eliciting a change in the biocompatibility of the metal. In order to evaluate the biocompatibility of unoxidized titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) and anodized titanium alloy samples, the samples were implanted in murine abdominal subcutaneous tissues, and maintained for 2 and 4 weeks. The reaction of the abdominal subcutaneous connective tissues to the samples was then assessed. Fibrous connective tissue capsules were observed around the vicinity of the sample, and these capsules were shown to harbor fibroblasts, fibrocytes, and other cells, including neutrophils, macrophages, and giant multinucleated cells. The average thickness of the fibrous capsules observed around the anodized alloy samples was less than that of the capsules seen around samples of the unoxidized titanium alloy. Blood was obtained from the tails of the experimental mice, and blood cell analyses were conducted in order to assess the levels of leukocytes, red blood cells, and thrombocytes. The blood analysis results of the unoxidized control group and treatment group were all within normal ranges. In addition, the biocompatibility of the titanium alloy samples was evaluated using cell culture techniques. The numbers of MG-63 cells cultured on oxidized samples tended to be greater than those in the controls; however, these increases were not statistically significant. The alkaline phosphatase activity of the sample oxidized at 310 V evidenced significantly higher activity than was observed in the control group. These results indicate that the anodized Ti-6Al-4V alloy will be of considerable utility in biomedical applications.