Osteogenesis Performance of Boronized Ti6Al4V/HA Composites Prepared by Microwave Sintering: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies

The boronized Ti6Al4V/HA composite is deemed to be an important biomaterial because of its potential remarkable mechanical and biological properties. This paper reports the osteogenesis performance of the boronized Ti6Al4V/HA composite, which was prepared by microwave sintering of powders of Ti6Al4V, hydroxyapatite (HA), and TiB(2) in high-purity Ar gas at 1050 °C for 30 min, as dental implant based on both cell experiments in vitro and animal experiments in vivo. The comparison between the boronized Ti6Al4V/HA composite and Ti, Ti6Al4V, and boronized Ti6Al4V in the terms of adhesion, proliferation, alkaline phosphate (ALP) activity, and mineralization of MG-63 cells on their surfaces confirmed that the composite exhibited the best inductive osteogenesis potential. It exerted a more significant effect on promoting the early osteogenic differentiation of osteoblasts and exhibited the maximum optical density (OD) value in the MTT assay and the highest levels of ALP activity and mineralization ability, primarily ascribed to its bioactive HA component, porous structure, and relatively rough micro-morphology. The in vivo study in rabbits based on the micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) analysis, histological and histomorphometric evaluation, and biomechanical testing further confirmed that the boronized Ti6Al4V/HA composite had the highest new bone formation potential and the best osseointegration property after implantation for up to 12 weeks, mainly revealed by the measured values of bone volume fraction, bone implant contact, and maximum push-out force which, for example, reached 48.64%, 61%, and 150.3 ± 6.07 N at the 12th week. Owing to these inspiring features, it can serve as a highly promising dental implant.