Osteoconductive phosphoserine-modified poly(1-lysine) dendrons: synthesis, titanium oxide surface functionalization and response of osteoblast-like cell lines

The lack of direct bonding between the surface of an implant and the mineralized bony tissue is among the main causes of aseptic loosening in titaniumbased implants. Surface etching and ceramic coatings have led to improved osteointegration, but their clinical performance is still limited either by partial bonding or by coating delamination. In this work, a solid-phase synthesis method has been optimized to produce poly(1-lysine) dendrons, the outermost branching generation of which is functionalized by phosphoserine (PS), a known catalyst of the biomineralization process. The dendrons were deposited onto etched titanium oxide surfaces as a near-to-monolayer film able to induce the formation of a homogeneous calcium phosphate phase in a simulated body fluid over 3 days. The dendron films also stimulated MG63 and SAOS-2 osteoblast-like cells to proliferate at a rate significantly higher than etched titanium, with SAOS-2 also showing a higher degree of differentiation over 14 days. PS-tethered dendron films were not affected by various sterilization methods and UV treatment appeared to improve the cell substrate potential of these films, thus suggesting their potential as a surface functionalization method for bone implants.