Effects of phosphatidylserine coatings on titanium on inflammatory cells and cell-induced mineralisation in vitro.

Ideally an active bone biomaterial should increase the mineralisation rate at the bone healing sites, keeping at the same time the inflammation process to levels required for tissue regeneration. Our studies suggest that in addition to improving the nucleation process for new bone formation, coating titanium with phospholipids may reduce the inflammatory response, which was shown to vary depending on the formulation employed. As phosphatidylserine reduced the inflammatory response to the greatest extent, in the second part of this study we examined its effect on osteoblast mineralisation. These studies demonstrated that phosphatidylserine improves the nucleation process for bone formation, by promoting the formation of bone-like tissue, so the high mineralisation potential of phosphatidylserine-coated titanium, together with the lower level of inflammatory response, supports the further development of this technology for coating osteointegrative devices.