The Cleaning Effect of the Photocatalysis of TiO(2)-B＠anatase Nanowires on Biological Activity on a Titanium Surface

BACKGROUND: Improvements in the early osseointegration of titanium implants require investigations on the bone-implant interface, which is a critical and complex challenge. The surface cleanliness of titanium implants plays an important role at this interface. However, the implant surface would inevitably absorb contamination such as organic hydrocarbons, which is not conductive to the establishment of early osseointegration. Herein, an optimized approach for removing contamination from titanium surfaces was studied. METHODS: The TiO(2)-B＠anatase NWs (nanowires) were prepared on titanium substrates through a hydrothermal process. A methylene blue degradation experiment was performed to assess the photodegradation activity. The cleaning effect of the photocatalysis of TiO(2)-B＠anatase NWs on a titanium surface and the cellular early response was determined by analyzing cell morphology, attachment, proliferation and differentiation. RESULTS: The results indicated that the photocatalysis of TiO(2)-B＠anatase NWs could effectively remove hydrocarbons on titanium surfaces without sacrificing the favourable titanium surface morphology. The methylene blue degradation experiment revealed that the photocatalysis of TiO(2)-B＠anatase NWs had powerful degradation activity, which is attributed to the presence of strong oxidants such as (·)OH. In addition, compared to the merely ultraviolet-treated titanium surfaces, the titanium surfaces treated after the NWs photocatalytic cleaning process markedly enhanced cellular early response. CONCLUSION: The photocatalysis of TiO(2)-B＠anatase NWs for the removal of contamination from titanium surfaces has the potential to enable the rapid and complete establishment of early osseointegration.