Effect of a titanium surface on bone marrow-derived osteoblastic cells in vitro

The initial interaction between a titanium implant and the surrounding cancellous bone tissue was investigated by means of in vitro cultures of bone marrow-derived osteoblastic clone TMS-12 cells. Proliferation of TMS-12 cells cultured on a titanium surface was significantly reduced compared with that of control cells cultured directly on plastic, but alkaline phosphatase activity was the same as control cells. Co-culture of spleen cells with TMS-12 cells in the presence of a 1α,25-dihydroxyvitaminD3 on titanium resulted in significant inhibition of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity compared to control cultures on plastic. More prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) was produced by cells grown on a titanium surface than on plastic tissue-culture plates. On the other hand, mouse calvaria-derived osteogenic MC3T3-E1 cells, known to proliferate well on titanium, released similar amounts of PGE2 on titanium surfaces as on plastic tissue culture plates, indicating additional marked differences between the two osteoblastic cell types in response to a titanium surface. These results suggest that the reaction of bone marrow-derived osteoblastic cells to a titanium surface may fundamentally differ from that of calvaria-derived osteoblastics even though both cells are from bone tissue.