Evaluation of the Biocompatibility and Osteogenic Properties of Metal Oxide Coatings Applied by Magnetron Sputtering as Potential Biofunctional Surface Modifications for Orthopedic Implants

Biomaterials with adequate properties to direct a biological response are essential for orthopedic and dental implants. The surface properties are responsible for the biological response; thus, coatings with biologically relevant properties such as osteoinduction are exciting options to tailor the surface of different bulk materials. Metal oxide coatings such as TiO(2), ZrO(2), Nb(2)O(5) and Ta(2)O(5) have been suggested as promising for orthopedic and dental implants. However, a comparative study among them is still missing to select the most promising for bone-growth-related applications. In this work, using magnetron sputtering, TiO(2), ZrO(2), Ta(2)O(5), and Nb(2)O(5) thin films were deposited on Si (100) substrates. The coatings were characterized by Optical Profilometry, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, Water Contact Angle measurements, and Surface Free Energy calculations. The cell adhesion, viability, proliferation, and differentiation toward the osteoblastic phenotype of mesenchymal stem cells plated on the coatings were measured to define the biological response. Results confirmed that all coatings were biocompatible. However, a more significant number of cells and proliferative cells were observed on Nb(2)O(5) and Ta(2)O(5) compared to TiO(2) and ZrO(2.) Nevertheless, Nb(2)O(5) and Ta(2)O(5) seemed to induce cell differentiation toward the osteoblastic phenotype in a longer cell culture time than TiO(2) and ZrO(2).